Mohottige and Others v. Gunatilleke and Others – sllr 1992 volume 2 page 246

In the case between Dharmadasa Mohottige (and others) and Gunatilleke, M. S. Ranasinghe, and other police officials, the court addressed the issue of whether conditions attached to a loudspeaker permit—specifically naming permitted speakers and prohibiting criticism of the Government—constituted an unlawful restriction of fundamental rights under Article 14(1)(a) of the Constitution. It was held that such conditions imposed an improper and unconstitutional limitation on the freedom of speech, especially where the petitioner, D. Mohottige, was precluded from speaking due to not being named in the permit. The principle reaffirmed was that freedom of expression must be protected against arbitrary executive conditions, and any such restrictions must be reasonable and lawful. The decision relie