ATTANAGALLE, WARAKAPOLA AND COLOMBO COURTS REFUSE RESTRAINING ORDER ON MARCH

Attanagalle Magistrate Dinesh Lakmal Perera yesterday refused to grant a restraining order to prevent the Joint Opposition from holding meetings in Nittambuwa on Sunday in line with its Pada Yathra and the United National Party (UNP) from conducting a membership recruitment drive during the weekend.

Nittambuwa Police OIC Prasanna Welikala filing a petition informed the Magistrate that the Pada Yathrawa led by former president MP Mahinda Rajapaksa was scheduled to arrive in Nittambuwa on Saturday and a meeting to be held on Sunday.

He said Attanagalle UNP Main Organiser Chandrasoma Sarathlal was also scheduled to conduct a membership recruitment drive during these two days.

The OIC had therefore, requested a restraining order banning both events saying the events could cause disturbance to the public.

Refusing the request, the Magistrate said the court had no authority to prevent events of a political party and noted that any party was entitled to act in a democratic manner.

However, the Magistrate said there was no restriction for the Police to carry out its duties according to the Police Ordinance. Similar requests by the Warakapola Police to restrict the Pada Yatra within the Warakapola Police area and the Peliyagoda Police to restrict the march from Kiribathgoda to Colombo were rejected by Warakapola Magistrate Uddara Suwadurugoda and Colombo Additional Magistrate Chanima Wijebandara.

The Warakapola Magistrate said the police did not need a court order to take action if the public are inconvenienced, while both magistrates ordered the police inform the courts if the public are inconvenienced or public property is damaged due to the march.

Refusing the request, the Magistrate said the court had no authority to prevent events of a political party and noted that any party was entitled to act in a democratic manner