4 May 2020 02:21 pm Views - 4268
President’s Counsel, former TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran has sought the intervention of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka to advise the government on the need to rectify and regularise curfew imposed without any further delay.
He had urged the intervention of HRC in a public interest memorandum to the Chairperson and members of the HRC.
He states an island-wide “curfew” was declared from 6 p.m. on March 20, 2020 and announced to the country by the President’s Media Division (PMD), which has virtually been in force up to now with variations in certain districts and “curfew” being “lifted” and “re-imposed” at different times in different places.
He opines that restricting movement is desirable and necessary at this time in the country in order to meet the challenge presented by COVID-19.
“There is no opposing, that such restrictions, including curfew, must be imposed legally under applicable provisions of law,” he states.
He maintains but it has not been done under any extant legal provision and such action therefore poses a grave threat to the Rule of Law and indeed to the well-being of the people of this country. (S.S.Selvanayagam)