FR Application on behalf of Sarath Fonseka:
SC grants leave to proceed
Sarath MALALASEKERA and Wasantha RAMANAYAKE
The Supreme Court yesterday granted leave to proceed with the
fundamental rights applications filed by Anoma Fonseka, wife of Sarath
Fonseka and New Democratic Front Secretary Shamila Perera.
The Court granted leave to proceed in connection with alleged
infringements of Articles 11, 12 (2), 13 (1) and 13 (2) of the
Constitution. The petitioners reserved their rights to support for
certain other right violations guaranteed under the Constitution. The
Court also directed respondents to permit the first petitioner Anoma
Fonseka to accompany an Attorney-at-Law and a Justice of Peace enabling
Fonseka to sign legal documents.
The petitioners also reserved their rights to support for an interim
order i.e. seeking the release of third petitioner Sarath Fonseka and an
order to ensure his safety while in custody.
The Bench comprised Chief Justice Asoka de Silva and Justice Shiranee
Tillekewardena and Justice Chandra Ekanayake.
At the outset, Deputy Solicitor General S. Rajaratnam appearing for
the Attorney General gave an undertaking to Court that the third
petitioner would not be relocated. He informed Court that the third
petitioner Sarath Fonseka has been provided with medical facilities with
Navy and Army medical officers assigned to his care.
He also submitted that his wife, first petitioner and President’s
Counsel Wijedasa Rajapaksa had been allowed to visit Sarath Fonseka and
provide him with lunch, dinner and medicine.
DSG Rajaratnam then raised a preliminary objections to the petition
that in terms of Article 126 of the Constitution that petitioner Anoma
Fonseka could not have filed the rights application on behalf of her
husband and that the second petitioner Shamila Perera who filed through
the rights application has not submitted an affidavit as required by
Supreme Court Rules. The applications before court are not properly
constituted, he added.
President’s Counsel Shibly Aziz, Senior Counsel for the petitioners
citing several authorities submitted that Supreme Court had widened its
fundamental rights jurisdiction beyond what is stated in the
Constitution.
Justice Tillekewardena said that not to go mereley on words in the
Constitution, but it should go by the spirit of the Constitution.
The court having heard the parties overruled the preliminary
objections raised by the Deputy Solicitor General.
President’s Counsel Shibly Aziz emphasised that even after a lapse of
five days the third petitioner has not been told the reasons for his
arrest.
The President’s Counsel also submitted that his client’s arrest by
Military Police was not warranted under the Army Act since he was not an
officer contemplated in the Act. He submitted that the Commander is the
disciplinary authority and would not be subjected to the Army Act.
However, he submitted that his client could have been arrested under the
country’s normal law. He submitted that this equally applies for retired
Army Commanders as well.
The President’s Counsel submitted that the Chief of Defence Staff
(CDS) is also not an officer in the regular service but a member of the
Forces which has been differentiated from an officer of the regular
forces in terms of the CDS Act.
DSG Rajaratnam objecting to the Leave to Proceed being granted
submitted that the Army Commander as well as the CDS were both governed
by the Military Law and submitted that the arrest and the subsequent
detention are both legal.
The DSG submitted that even when he was appointed as the CDS he
continued to be a member of the regular forces thus is subjected to the
military law.
Answering the Chief Justice, DSG Rajaratnam said that the charges was
read out to the third petitioner before he was arrested.
The court granted respondents four weeks to file objections.
Three petitioners Anoma Fonseka, Shamila Perera and Sarath Fonseka
complained to court that the arrest and detention of Fonseka were
illegal and was in violation of his fundamental rights.
The petitioners cited the Army Commander, the officer in charge of
the security of the Colombo city, the head of the Military Police and
the Attorney General as respondents.
The petitioners stated that Fonseka was a candidate at the recently
concluded Presidential Election under the NDF nomination and was
illegally arrested on February 8 evening by the Army Military Police and
detained at the Naval headquarters. They stated that the detention has
prevented Fonseka from taking his regular medicine.
President’s Counsel Shibly Aziz with President’s Counsel Wijedasa
Rajapaksa, Upul Jayasuriya and Chrishmal Warnasuriya appeared for the
petitioners.
DSG S. Rajaratnam with Senior State Counsel A. Nawaz and Senior State
Counsel Nerin Pulle appeared for the Attorney General.
S.L. Gunasekera instructed by Sudath Perera Associates appeared for
Major General Sumith Manawadu who is in charge of the Colombo Security.
Sanjeewa Jayawardane instructed by Sudath Perera Associates appeared
for Chief of the Military Police.
The Court will consider granting interim relief on February 23. |