A Fundamental Rights petition has been filed in the Supreme Court urging President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to appoint an acting Chairperson to the Right to Information (RTI) Commission.
The petition, submitted by journalist Mithun Jayawardena and the Deyata Saviya organisation, names the President, Presidential Secretary, Speaker of Parliament, and members of the Constitutional Council as respondents.
According to the petition, the RTI Commission has been without a Chairperson since the resignation of Retired Supreme Court Judge Upali Abeyratne on March 9, 2025. This vacancy has stalled inquiries into public information requests, allegedly violating the Fundamental Rights of both the petitioner and the wider public.
The petition stresses that under the Right to Information Act, No. 12 of 2016, the Chairperson plays a critical role in the Commission’s operations and in ensuring the public’s Constitutional right to access information is upheld.
(With the inputs from Daily Mirror)