One month left for the IGP to honour Tamil citizens’ language rights

A landmark order issued by the Supreme Court must be fulfilled by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) by March 8th, giving exactly one month from today for implementation. The order requires that translation services be made available in every police station in the Northern and Eastern Provinces, where Tamil-speaking citizens form the majority. Importantly, the Court insisted that these measures must be completed within not less than six months, underscoring the urgency of safeguarding Tamil citizens’ constitutional rights.

This order—though not widely discussed in society—was delivered on September 08, 2025, by Supreme Court Justices Yasantha Kodagoda, A.H.M.D. Nawaz, and K. Priyantha Fernando, while ruling on Fundamental Rights Petition SC/FR/326/2024, filed by Mannar resident Iruthyanathan Annasingham.

A Clear Violation of Tamil Language Rights

The Supreme Court’s determination highlights a long-standing and systemic problem: Tamil citizens are routinely denied their right to use their language when interacting with the State—especially the police.

In this case, the Mullaitivu Police Special Crime Investigation Unit recorded complaints and statements entirely in Sinhala, despite the fact that:

• both the petitioner and the other individual involved are Tamil-speaking,
• neither of them speaks Sinhala, and
• the events occurred in a region where Tamil is an official administrative language.

The Court emphasized this as a serious violation of Tamil citizens’ constitutional right to engage with the State in their own language.

The issue continued into the judicial process. The initial report related to case B/444/2023 submitted to the Mullaitivu Magistrate’s Court was also prepared only in Sinhala, despite:

• the Magistrate being a Tamil speaker,
• the suspects knowing only Tamil, and
• the defense lawyers also being Tamil-speaking.

This shows a systemic pattern where Tamil-speaking citizens—especially in Tamil-majority regions—are forced to navigate the justice system through a language they do not understand. This contradicts both the Constitution and basic principles of fairness.

 The Constitution & Tamil Language Rights

Chapter 4 of the Constitution deals with language rights, which the Supreme Court highlighted.
Article 22 requires:

• Both Sinhala and Tamil to be administrative languages throughout the country.
• In the Northern and Eastern Provinces, Tamil must be used by government institutions for maintaining public records and conducting all official business.

Article 24 requires:

• Courts throughout Sri Lanka to use Sinhala and Tamil.
• The language of the court (Sinhala or Tamil, depending on the region) must be used for all case records and proceedings.

The Supreme Court made it clear that the failure to use Tamil in this case amounted to an unacceptable violation of the constitutional language policy and, by extension, of the language rights of Tamil citizens.

Order Is Vital for Tamil Equality and Justice

Sri Lanka’s official language policy aims to ensure that every citizen—Sinhala or Tamil—can access State services in their own language, as promised by the Constitution. For Tamil citizens, especially in the North and East, this is not merely a procedural matter; it is a matter of:

• equal citizenship,
• dignity, and
• access to justice.

Yet, practical realities tell another story. Police stations often lack Tamil-speaking officers, and translators are difficult to find due to low government remuneration. As a result, Tamil citizens are frequently forced into linguistic disadvantage—even in critical situations involving arrest, testimony, or court proceedings.

Institutional Efforts and the Persistent Gap

Although institutions such as the National Institute of Language Education and Training (est. 2007) and the Official Languages Commission (est. 1991) were created to address these gaps, Tamil citizens still face routine barriers in exercising their constitutionally guaranteed language rights.

Circulars such as:

• Public Administration Circular 12/2003 (translation and interpretation), and
• Public Administration Circular 18/2009 (assigning responsibility for implementing the official language policy),

provide guidance, but implementation remains weak.

A Necessary Step Toward Equality

What happened in this case is not an isolated incident—it reflects a wider pattern where Tamil speakers across the island experience linguistic discrimination that undermines both justice and reconciliation.

The Supreme Court order is therefore a critical reminder that:

• Tamil is not a courtesy language—it is an official language.
• Tamil speakers have inalienable language rights guaranteed by the Constitution.
• The State has a legal and moral obligation to uphold these rights fully and without delay.

Ensuring translation facilities in police stations in the North and East is not just a legal requirement—it is an essential step toward building trust, equality, and true unity in Sri Lanka.

( Source – The Leader, Sinhala)