Presidential Secretariat declines RTI disclosure on 68 vehicles

By Lakmal Sooriyagoda

The Designated Officer of the Presidential Secretariat has rejected a request made under the Right to Information (RTI) Act seeking vehicle number details of 68 vehicles handed over to the Secretariat following the conclusion of the tenure of former President Ranil Wickremesinghe.  

The information request was made by freelance journalist Rahul Samantha Hettiarachchi, who sought several details relating to vehicles handed over to the Presidential Secretariat after September 23, 2024, the date marking the end of the former President’s tenure. Among the information requested were the registration numbers of 68 such vehicles.  

In a letter dated January 2, 2026, Designated Officer Prasanna Chandith, Senior Additional Secretary to the President, informed the freelance journalist that the requested information could not be disclosed. The refusal was issued in terms of Section 5(1)(a) of the Right to Information Act on the ground that the information sought relates to personal information and is therefore exempt from disclosure.  

Commenting on the decision, journalist Hettiarachchi stated that while he had received several categories of information after pursuing the matter for several months under the RTI Act, the vehicle number details of 68 vehicles remain undisclosed.