October 02, Colombo (LNW): The Court of Appeal yesterday (1) amended the interim injunction that had previously prevented the purchase of 750,000 ordinary passports from two companies. This modification came after submissions by Additional Solicitor General Sumathi Dharmawardhana, representing the Controller of Immigration and Emigration and the Attorney General.
Dharmawardhana highlighted the severe passport shortage created by the original order, a concern that the petitioner’s representatives agreed with, leading to the amendment. Authorities are now permitted to purchase the 750,000 ordinary passports, alleviating the crisis. However, the injunction against the purchase of five million e-passports remains in place until November 6.
The original interim order, issued on September 26 based on a writ petition filed by Epic Lanka Pvt. Ltd., had halted the purchase of both ordinary and e-passports. The case was heard before Justices Mohamed Laffar Tahir and P. Kumaran Ratnam, where the Court recognized the urgency of the situation, noting that only 13,880 passports remained available for issuance, enough for just 30 working days.
While the Court allowed the immediate procurement of ordinary passports, it extended the injunction on the e-passports and ordered the respondents to file objections before the next hearing on November 6. The petition argued that the initial passport procurement decision bypassed proper procedures and was illegal, naming several officials, including former Public Security Minister Tiran Alles, as respondents.
