CA FIXES FOR SUPPORT ON FEBRUARY 12

She is seeking an interim order

The Quo Warranto petition against Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s parliament membership was yesterday fixed for support on February 12 by the Court of Appeal. The Bench comprised Justices A.L.S. Gooneratne and K. Priyantha Fernando.

Colombo Municipal Council’s UPFA member Sharmila Gonawela, who is also the Co-president of ‘Women for Justice’ cited the Premier, Akila Viraj Kariyawasam and Parliament General Secretary Dammika Dasanayake and two others as respondents.

The petitioner states that the Premier is a shareholder of a private institution which held contracts to supply printing materials to public enterprises and is seeking Court to issue an interim order preventing him from functioning as an MP until the final determination of the petition. She states that according to the Constitution, MPS who engage in businesses by entering into contracts with state institutions are disqualified from being a member of Parliament and points out that during his tenure a company of his was involved in business with State organizations and institutions and as such he could not act as a parliamentarian.

She seeks Court to declare that his membership in parliament was null and void.

Uditha Egalahewa PC with N.K. Ashokbharan appeared for the Petitioner. President’s Counsel K. Kanag Iswaran with Donald Perera PC and Niranjan Arulpragasam instructed byg.g. Arulpragasam appeared for the Prime Minister while Suren Fernando appeared for Akila Viraj Kariyawasam and Senior State Counsel Manohara Jayasinghe appeared for the Attorney General.