Daya Lankapura, a veteran journalist and media trainer, has been appointed as the Chairman of the Right to Information (RTI) Commission of Sri Lanka.
The appointment has been made by the President, in accordance with the recommendation of the Constitutional Council, under Section 12(1) of the Right to Information Act No. 12 of 2016.
Meanwhile, last month, a Fundamental Rights (FR) petition was filed before the Supreme Court, seeking an order directing the President to appoint a Chairman for the RTI Commission.
The petitioners stated that the post of Chairman of the Right to Information Commission has remained vacant for approximately six months.
They pointed out that the vacancy arose following the resignation of retired Supreme Court Justice Upali Abeyratne, who previously served as the Chairman of the RTI Commission.
Although the power to appoint a Chairman to the RTI Commission lies with the President, the petitioners claimed that the President has neither appointed a new Chairman nor designated an Acting Chairman to the position.
