Sirimasiri Hapuarachchi vs Dayananda Dissanayake, Commissioner of Elections – SC FR 67/2008-2020

In the case between Sirimasiri Hapuarachchi, H.D. Keerthi Sampath, and Anil Chandrasekera (representatives of ‘Eksath Janatha Peramuna’) and Dayananda Dissanayake, Commissioner of Elections, and the Attorney-General, the central legal issue concerned whether the Commissioner’s refusal to register the petitioners’ political party—absent any stated reasons—violated Article 12(1) of the Constitution guaranteeing equality before the law. The court found that the lack of reasons rendered the decision arbitrary and denied procedural fairness, thereby infringing fundamental rights under the Constitution. The principle established is that public authorities must provide reasons for decisions impacting constitutional rights, to ensure transparency and prevent arbitrariness. Reliance was placed on p