Ven. Welimada Dhammadinna Bhikkhuni vs. R.M.S. Sarath Kumara, Commissioner General, Department of Registration of Persons – SC/FR/218/2013-2025

In the case between Ven. Welimada Dhammadinna Bhikkhuni and Ven. Inamaluwe Sri Sumangala Thero (Petitioners) and the Commissioner General of the Department of Registration of Persons, the Department of Buddhist Affairs, and the Attorney-General’s Department (Respondents), the court addressed the issue of whether a female ordained as a Bhikkhuni is entitled to have her status reflected as “Bhikkhuni” on her National Identity Card (NIC) rather than an alternative religious title. It was held that the petitioner’s constitutional right to equality under Article 12(1) had been violated by the refusal to recognize her clerical status, and a direction was issued for the NIC to reflect “Bhikkhuni.” The decision reaffirmed the principle that de facto recognition, longstanding practice, and legitima