Kumara and Others vs. Officer-in-Charge, Police Station, Katunayake and Others – sllr 2019 volume 3 page 220

In the case between Kumara and Others (FTZ workers) and the Officer-in-Charge, Police Station, Katunayake and others (State law enforcement), the court addressed allegations of violations of fundamental rights under Articles 11, 12, 13, and 14 of the Constitution arising from the police response to protest activities in the Katunayake Free Trade Zone. It was held that the use of excessive and disproportionate force—including live ammunition, tear gas, and physical assaults—by law enforcement during a volatile protest constituted violations of the Petitioners’ constitutional rights, including the right to peaceful assembly, freedom from arbitrary arrest and detention, and the right to be free from cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment. The principle reaffirmed is that state authorities mus