Fernando v. The Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation and Others – sllr 1996 volume 1 page 157

In the case between Fernando (on behalf of a retired teacher and participatory listener) and the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) with its officials, the court addressed the issue of whether the abrupt discontinuance of SLBC’s Non-Formal Education Programme (NFEP) constituted an infringement of the petitioner’s fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression under Article 14(1)(a) of the Constitution. It was held that the arbitrary termination of the NFEP unlawfully infringed the participatory rights of a listener, establishing that the right to freedom of speech encompasses not only the right to impart but also the right to receive information. Reliance was placed on constitutional principles, judicial interpretations from local and international authorities, and the functi