Claim: The Fundamental Rights petition filed by Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa about the reduction of the number of security personnel assigned to him has been dismissed by the Supreme Court.
Fact: This claim is false. The hearing of this petition is scheduled for March 19, 2025 at the Supreme Court.
In December 2024, the NPP government decided to reduce the number of security personnel assigned to each former president of Sri Lanka. This included reducing President Rajapaksa’s security detail from over 350 personnel to just 60. After this reduction, Rajapaksa decided to file a Fundamental Rights petition with the Supreme Court, stating that this reduction is unjust.
Social media posts have been circulating since the filing of the petition about its status, with some stating that the petition has been dismissed.
A few posts can be found here, here, and here.
The claims were predominantly viral on Facebook and TikTok. The Newschecker team decided to check the veracity of this claim, given the serious nature of the case.
Fact Check/Verification
On conducting a keyword search, we found many reports on the petition being filed in mainstream media, on January 24, 2025.
One such article published in HiruNews states that the petition names the Prime Minister Dr Harini Amasuriya and a few others, and argues that the incident was done without “proper security assessment” and that Rajapaksa’s life is constantly subjected to terrorist threat due to his role in ending the three-decade civil war.
Similar news items reporting on the petition by Rajapaksas can be found here and here.
Following this, multiple mainstream media publications published an update reporting that the hearing in the case has been scheduled for March 19.
“The Supreme Court has scheduled a hearing for March 19 to consider the fundamental rights petition filed by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa. This decision was made today by a three-judge bench comprising Justices P. Pathman Surasena, Janak de Silva, and Sampath Abayakoon. Former President Rajapaksa filed the petition, claiming that his fundamental human rights were violated due to the reduction of his security without proper assessment. During the hearing, Additional Solicitor General Varunika Hettige, representing the respondents, requested time to obtain instructions and present objections. The court granted this request, allowing both parties to submit their arguments,” a NewsFirst article on the incident states.
Similar news items reporting about the date of the hearing can be found here and here.
We also contacted Rajapaksa’s attorney in relation to this case, Mohamed Ali Sabry PC, who confirmed to us that the hearing will occur on March 19, contrary to social media posts.
Conclusion
The Fundamental Rights petition filed by Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa regarding the reduction in the number of security personnel assigned to him has not been dismissed by the Supreme Court. The hearing has been scheduled for March 19, 2025.
Result: False
Our sources
‘MR’s Rights Petition Scheduled for March 19’, published in NewsFirst LK, January 24, 2025
‘Mahinda Rajapaksa’s petition over security detail fixed for support’, published in AdaDerana LK, February 6, 2025
‘SC fixes hearing of MR’s FR petition over pruning of security for March 19’, January 25, 2025
Mohamed Ali Sabry PC, Attorney handling the case on Rajapaksa’s behalf
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