Jeevakaran v. Ratnasiri Wickremanayake and Others – sllr 1997 volume 1 page 351

In the case between Jeevakaran (Plaintiff) and Ratnasiri Wickremanayake and Others (Defendants), the court addressed whether the Government’s decision to curtail certain public holidays—specifically the removal of Maha Sivarathri and Hadji as routine public holidays—violated the fundamental rights to freedom of worship (Article 14(1)(e)) and equality before the law (Article 12(1)) under the Constitution. It was determined that the core of religious freedom is protection from interference, not state-provided privileges, and the subsequent granting of special holidays for religious observance sufficiently met any legitimate concerns. The holding reaffirmed that the State need not extend additional facilities for practicing religion as long as citizens are not hindered in their observances. T