Sri Lanka's top court rejects rights hurdle for India-funded ID project

The Supreme Court on Friday rejected two fundamental rights petitions seeking to invalidate a pact signed between Sri Lanka and India for the implementation of a digital identity card project in the island nation.

A three-member Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena accepted preliminary objections raised by the Attorney General, stating that the petitions could not proceed further. The petition filed by opposition politician Wimal Weerawansa claimed that his fundamental rights had been violated by the government's refusal to make the project subject to parliamentary scrutiny or a public debate.

He also argued that the exposure of Sri Lankans’ data to foreign entities posed a threat to national security.

The bench decided not to examine the petitions regarding the digital identity card project, and dismissed them.

The MoU for the project was signed in 2022.