A Fundamental Rights (FR) petition has been filed before the Supreme Court, seeking an order directing the President to appoint a Chairman for the Right to Information (RTI) Commission of Sri Lanka.

According to Ada Derana correspondent, the petition was filed by a journalist and a civil society organization.

The President, the Secretary to the President, the Speaker, members of the Constitutional Council, and the Attorney General, among others have been named as respondents in the petition.

The petitioners state that the post of Chairman of the Right to Information Commission has remained vacant for approximately six months.

They point out that this vacancy arose following the resignation of retired Supreme Court Justice Upali Abeyratne, who previously served as the Chairman of the RTI Commission.

Although the power to appoint a Chairman to the RTI Commission lies with the President, the petitioners claim that the President has neither appointed a new Chairman nor designated an Acting Chairman to the position.

As a result, the petition highlights that the Commission is currently unable to issue final decisions on RIT requests, creating a situation where its duties cannot be fulfilled.

The petitioners therefore request the Court to declare that their fundamental rights have been violated and to issue an order directing the President and the members of the Constitutional Council to appoint a suitable individual to the vacant position of Chairman of the RTI Commission.