Ex-President Mahinda files petition seeking to reinstate his security detail

Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa has filed a fundamental rights (FR) petition with the Supreme Court seeking an order for the deployment of his security detail which had been reduced. 

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya and other members of the Cabinet of Ministers have been named as respondents in the petition. 

The petition filed by the former President, through his attorneys, alleges that the security detail provided for his protection has been reduced to 60 personnel, without a proper security assessment.

The petition further states that presently no armed forces security personnel have been deployed for his protection and that only police officers have been provided for his protection.

In his petition, the former President says that as the leader who provided leadership to end the war that lasted for almost three decades in the country, he is facing terrorist threats and that there have also been threats to his life.

The petitioner therefore requested the court to deliver an order that the respondents had violated his fundamental human rights by arbitrarily removing his protection.

In addition, he requests that an order be issued to the respondents to conduct an assessment of the threats against him.

Rajapaksa has also requested the Supreme Court to issue an order to the respondents to redeploy the entire security detail provided to him, which has now been withdrawn.