Namal wedding electricity bill petition returns on December 4 as the Supreme Court examines claims of unequal enforcement by the CEB.
The Namal wedding electricity bill case will return to the Supreme Court on December 4, following an order issued on Friday, July 24.
Attorney E.J. Vijitha Kumara filed the fundamental rights petition over the Ceylon Electricity Board’s handling of a Rs. 2,682,246.57 electricity charge connected to MP Namal Rajapaksa’s 2019 wedding celebrations.
Justices A.H.M.D. Nawaz and Sampath Abeykoon considered the petition. The bench also allowed the petitioner to name the CEB’s successor company as a respondent following the restructuring of the electricity sector.
Attorney Thishya Weragoda appeared for the petitioner.
Namal Wedding Electricity Bill Claim
The petition concerns electricity supplied at former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s Weeraketiya residence from September 12 to 15, 2019.
According to the petition, MP D.V. Chanaka asked the then Power Minister to provide security lighting at the residence and surrounding area. He reportedly said members of the Rajapaksa family would meet the relevant costs.
The petitioner initially alleged that authorities had failed to recover the Rs. 2,682,246.57 charge. However, lawyers later informed the Supreme Court that a third party had settled the amount after the petition was filed.
Vijitha Kumara argues that the later payment does not resolve the central constitutional question.
He states that the CEB disconnected electricity to his home over an unpaid monthly bill of Rs. 7,390. Meanwhile, he alleges that authorities initially failed to take similar action over the much larger wedding-related charge.
Petitioner Alleges Unequal Treatment
The petitioner asks the Supreme Court to declare that the CEB’s conduct violated Article 12(1) of the Constitution, which guarantees equality before the law.
The case therefore focuses on whether the electricity authority applied its recovery and disconnection procedures equally, rather than simply whether the bill remains unpaid.
The Supreme Court granted leave to proceed with the petition in September 2025. At that hearing, the petitioner maintained that the CEB recovered the money only after he initiated legal action.
The late former State Minister Sanath Nishantha had previously said he had taken steps to settle the electricity charge.
The December 4 hearing is expected to examine whether the CEB’s handling of the Namal wedding electricity bill amounted to unequal treatment and a violation of the petitioner’s fundamental rights.
