The Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ) has issued a formal notice (letter of demand) to Attorney General Parinda Ranasinghe, alleging contempt of court for failing to implement orders issued by the Supreme Court regarding the MV X-Press Pearl maritime disaster.
The letter was dispatched via registered post on November 7 by Attorney-at-Law Nilmal Wickramasinghe, on behalf of the Centre for Environmental Justice and its Executive Director, Hemantha Withanage. The letter states that the Attorney General’s Department has failed to execute orders issued 15 months ago by a five-judge bench of the Supreme Court. This action has been taken based on the Supreme Court judgment delivered on July 24, 2025, regarding Fundamental Rights Petition No. SC/FR/168/2021 and other related petitions. According to paragraphs 895 and 896 of the said judgment, the Court ruled that the Attorney General had failed to fulfill the statutory duty to initiate criminal proceedings against the owners and operators of the vessel, pursuant to Section 26(a) of the Marine Environment Protection Act.
Furthermore, the Supreme Court held that the decision to institute legal action in a Singaporean court rather than filing a civil lawsuit before the High Court of Sri Lanka was unreasonable, illogical, and arbitrary, and that this action constituted a violation of the fundamental rights guaranteed under Article 12(1) of the Constitution. The Centre for Environmental Justice requests a detailed written response within 14 days of receipt of the letter regarding the steps taken to implement the court order, and further demands the immediate settlement of legal costs. The formal notice (letter of demand) further emphasizes that should the Attorney General fail to comply within the stipulated timeframe, further legal action including the filing of contempt of court proceedings will be initiated without any prior notice.