Somawathie v. Weerasinghe and Others – sllr 1990 volume 2 page 121

In the case between the petitioner (wife) and Weerasinghe and others (including various police officials and state representatives), the Supreme Court addressed the issue of locus standi under Article 126(2) of the Constitution in relation to fundamental rights petitions. The court ruled that only the person whose fundamental rights have allegedly been infringed, or that person’s attorney-at-law, holds the right to petition under Article 126(2). This interpretation reaffirmed the principle that the Court’s jurisdiction is strictly confined to direct victim complaints, relying on the plain, literal construction of the constitutional text. In reviewing statutory language and precedent, the court emphasized the necessity of clear procedural compliance and denied the extension of standing to s