Dr. P. B. Jayasundera vs The Attorney-General – SC APPLICATION NO. 209/07-2009

Brief
In the litigation between the 8th Respondent-Petitioner (a public officer formerly serving as Secretary of the Ministry of Finance) and respondents including former ministers, a former Prime Minister, and the Attorney-General, the Supreme Court examined whether an order requiring the petitioner to submit an affidavit not to hold public office, issued on 8th October 2008, could be vacated. The case centered on the Court’s jurisdiction to reconsider or revise its own orders under Articles 126 and 52 of the Constitution, particularly in cases where fundamental rights, such as the right to engage in lawful occupation (Article 14(1)(g)), are implicated. Upon review, the court held that its original jurisdiction in fundamental rights matters does not extend to revisiting or altering its pr