Singarasa vs. Attorney General (Singarasa Case) – sllr 2013 volume 1 page 245

In SINGARASA vs. ATTORNEY GENERAL, the court examined whether findings of the Human Rights Committee (HRC) at Geneva may be enforced domestically and assessed the constitutional validity and internal effect of Sri Lanka’s accession to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and its Optional Protocol. The sequence of events involved the petitioner’s conviction under the Prevention of Terrorism Act and subsequent efforts to obtain relief based on a favorable view from the HRC. The court determined that the HRC lacks judicial power under the Constitution, and the dualist structure of Sri Lankan constitutional law mandates that international covenants acquire domestic effect only upon enactment of legislation. The judgment established that actions by the President or t