Mahinda Rajapaksa challenges security, perks reduction in Supreme Court

• Says govt. made an  arbitrary decision without  conducting a proper security assessment

By Lakmal Sooriyagoda 

Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday filed a  Fundamental Rights petition, challenging the government’s decision to  reduce his security detail without conducting a proper security  assessment.  
The petition has been filed, naming Prime Minister Harini  Amarasuriya, the Cabinet of Ministers, and several others as  respondents.  

In his petition, the former president claims that he is  facing terrorist threats as a person who led the effort to end the  three-decade-long war against the LTTE organisation.  

Former President Rajapaksa stated that influential elements  of the diaspora have organised themselves as ‘Transnational Government  of Tamil Eelam’ and named one Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran as the Prime  Minister, and the said elements continue to agitate for a separate state  and continue to influence policymakers throughout the world and make  outrageous statements regarding Sri Lanka and its humanitarian  operations to liberate all Sri Lankans, particularly innocent civilians  from the clutches of ruthless LTTE terrorist outfit.  The former President stated that the government made an  arbitrary decision to reduce his security detail to 60 officers without  conducting a proper security assessment.  

Former President Rajapaksa is seeking a declaration that  his Fundamental Rights have been violated by the respondents through the  arbitrary reduction of his security detail.  

The former President is further seeking an order directing the  Cabinet of Ministers to reinstate the security personnel (including army  security personnel) prior to the impugned decision. 

 
He further seeking an order quashing the Cabinet Decision  dated 30th of September 2024 which recommended the reduction or  curtailment of the “entitlements, allowances and privileges” granted to  former Executive Presidents and reduce the security personnel of the  Petitioner.  

The Former President further seeks an order directing the  respondents to immediately carry out a provisional threat assessment of  his security and to provide such number of security personnel in  addition to the existing number of security personnel provided for his  security until the hearing and final determination of this application.