Chamara Sampath vs Neil Iddawala – CA RTI/0004/2021-2023

In the case between Chamara Sampath (“Sathuta”), appellant, and Neil Iddawala, the Designated Officer and Deputy Secretary-General of the Sri Lanka Parliament, respondent, the court addressed whether the Right to Information (RTI) Act overrides the provisions of the Declaration of Assets and Liabilities Law regarding the disclosure of the names of Members of Parliament who submitted their asset declarations. The sequence of events included a refusal by Parliament’s Information Officer to release the requested list, a reversal of that refusal by the Right to Information Commission ordering disclosure, and subsequent appeal. It was held that the RTI Act is to prevail, with statutory interpretation confirming that the identity of declarants constitutes information subject to public disclosure