Gotabaya Rajapaksa Petitions Court to Lift Travel Ban for Medical Treatment

Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has filed a motion before the Colombo Fort Magistrate's Court requesting a temporary lifting of the overseas travel ban imposed on him, citing the need to seek medical treatment abroad.

Court Petition Filed

The former head of state, who has been subject to a travel restriction preventing him from leaving Sri Lanka, has formally approached the courts in a bid to secure temporary permission to travel overseas. The motion was submitted to the Colombo Fort Magistrate's Court, which holds jurisdiction over the matter.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who fled Sri Lanka in July 2022 amid widespread public protests triggered by the country's severe economic crisis, later returned to the island nation. Since his return, he has been subject to legal proceedings and travel restrictions.

Medical Grounds Cited

The petition submitted on behalf of the former president specifically cites medical treatment as the grounds for the temporary lifting of the travel ban. No further details regarding the nature of his medical condition have been made publicly available at this stage.

The court is expected to take up the matter and consider the request in due course, with a ruling anticipated to follow after hearing relevant submissions from all parties concerned.

Background

Gotabaya Rajapaksa resigned from the presidency in 2022 following an unprecedented popular uprising, during which thousands of protestors stormed and occupied the Presidential Secretariat and official residence in Colombo. The economic collapse, characterised by severe shortages of fuel, medicine, and essential goods, drove public anger to a historic peak.

Upon his return to Sri Lanka, the former president has faced multiple legal challenges, with travel restrictions forming part of the conditions tied to ongoing judicial proceedings against him.

The outcome of the court motion is being closely watched, given the significant public interest surrounding accountability for those in power during Sri Lanka's worst economic crisis in modern history.

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