The Court of Appeal yesterday allowed the Acting Controller of Emigration and Immigration to purchase “P” series ordinary passports instead of “N” series ordinary passports.
The Court issued this directive after Additional Solicitor General Sumathi Dharmawardhana PC informed Court that he has been informed by the Acting Emigration and Immigration Controller that “P” series ordinary passports have to be purchased.
The Additional Solicitor General cited that the Court of Appeal previously allowed the acquisition of the N” series ordinary passports when purchasing new ordinary foreign passports, but he has been informed by the Acting Emigration and Immigration that “P” series ordinary passports have to be obtained instead of “N” series.
The Additional Solicitor General Sumathi Dharmawardena informed the Court of Appeal yesterday (9) that the Attorney General has instructed that the decisions of a five-member committee appointed by the Acting Controller General of Immigration and Emigration be swiftly presented to the Cabinet.
The committee is tasked with determining matters related to new regular passports, including the associated fees and security mechanisms.
This statement was made during a session convened to hear a motion filed by the Immigration and Emigration Department and the Attorney General regarding the purchase of passports.
The motion was heard before a bench of Justices Mohammed Lafar Thahir and P.Kumaran Ratnam. During the session, attorney Pramod Perera, representing Epic Lanka, stated that some of the proposed passports have had certain security features removed, which may delay their issuance to the public. Additional Solicitor General Dharmawardena further emphasised that the security systems and fees for the new passports need careful consideration. He also mentioned that the Acting Controller General had appointed a five-member committee to discuss these issues with the petitioning party and reach a decision.He added that the Attorney General has directed that the committee’s decisions be presented to the Cabinet without delay. After reviewing the case, the Court of Appeal scheduled the next hearing for November 6. Meanwhile, the interim injunction currently preventing the purchase of five million passports will remain in effect until that date, according to the Court.
The Court of Appeal had previously issued an interim injunction on September 26, blocking the purchase of 750,000 regular passports from two private companies, following a petition filed by Epic Lanka. On October 1, the Additional Solicitor General, representing the Controller General of Immigration and Emigration, requested the Court to modify the interim injunction, as it had caused significant delays in purchasing regular passports.He also highlighted the considerable inconvenience faced by the public as a result.
After considering these points, the Court of Appeal decided to amend the injunction, enabling the Department of Immigration and Emigration to proceed with purchasing the passports.
Former Public Security Minister,the Ministry Secretary and several others are named as respondents in this case.
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