President’s court blow

SRI Lanka’s Supreme Court has ruled that President Maithripala Sirisena’s order to dissolve Parliament and hold new elections was unconstitutional.

A seven-judge bench of the highest court yesterday said the President lacked the power to dissolve Parliament at will before four years from the day of its first sitting, citing a 2015 constitutional amendment.

Sri Lanka’s crisis began in October when Sirisena abruptly sacked Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and controversially appointed former strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa in his place.