A Fundamental Rights(FR) petition has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking annulment of the Cabinet decision taken to enter into any long term agreements with Companies to allow to directly import, sell, supply or distribute Petroleum in Sri Lanka as envisaged.
The petition was filed by Podujana Pragathisheeli Sevaka Sangamaya, its President Bandula Saman Kumara, and its Joint Secretaries Sanjeewa Gamage and Jayantha Paregama.
The petition has cited 28 respondents including 18 Cabinet Ministers including Prime Minister Dinesh Gunewardena, Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekara, Ceylon Petroleum Corporation, Ceylon Petroleum Storage Terminals Limited and the Attorney General as the respondents.
The petition says that the Cabinet Ministers have taken a decision allowing selected companies from fuel producing countries to directly purchase, import, distribute and sell fuel in the country.
The petition also states that there are plans to privatize most of the filling stations owned by the Petroleum Corporation including many very profitable filling stations.
The petitioners point out that the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation as well as the public will suffer severe prejudice and loss through this and say that their basic human rights will be violated.
Therefore, the relevant petition has requested to issue an order to prevent the implementation of the Cabinet decision to privatize the respective filling stations. The petition seeks an order from the Court to quash the cabinet decision to introduce new Petroleum companies to import, sale, supply and distribution of Petroleum and Petroleum products.
The petition seeks from the court to grant the Petitioners leave to proceed with this Application under Articles 12(1) and 14(1)(g) of the Constitution in the first instance.
The petition further seek an interim order preventing the respondents from issuing any new license, permit or authorization to any person or company to import, export, sell, supply and distribute Petrol, Diesel, kerosene and Furnace oil to Sri Lanka in contravention of Section 5B of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation Act, until the final determination of the petition.