Geetha given time to file objections

Actress-turned parliamentarian Geetha Kumarasinghe and three other respondents were granted time till February 10 to file objections when the case over dual citizenship was taken up by the Appeal Court yesterday.

The petitioners in their writ application challenged her appointment as a Member of Parliament despite being a holder of dual citizenship.

W.W.E. Buweneka, J.K. Amarawardhana, A.C. Gunasekera, J.K. Wijesinghe and Prasanna Deepthilal filed the petition in which they cited Geetha Kumarasinghe, Controller of Immigration and Emigration, UPFA Secretary Vishwa Warnapala and the Secretary General of Parliament as respondents. The petitioners said Ms. Kumarasinghe was a dual citizen of Sri Lanka and Switzerland and that she contested the 2015 parliamentary election without divulging her dual citizenship status at the time of submitting her nomination. They claimed that under the Constitution she was not qualified to be elected as a Member of Parliament and charged that she was thus a usurper of the authority of such a member.

She was declared a Member of Parliament representing the UPFA from the Galle District. The petitioners are seeking the Court to issue a prerogative writ order requiring her to show by what authority she claims to hold office as a Member of Parliament and another Order declaring that she is disqualified to be a Member of Parliament and thus not entitled to hold office as Member of Parliament.

J.c.weliamuna appeared for the petitioners. Manohara de Silva PC appeared for Geetha Kumarasinghe.

The petitioners are seeking the Court to issue a prerogative writ order requiring her to show by what authority she claims to hold office as a Member of Parliament