UPFA files Writ against rejections

3 February 2011 11:30 am

The United People’s Freedom Alliance today filed a Writ petition before the Court of Appeal challenging  the rejection of its nomination paper for the Akmeemana Pradeshiya Sabha for the forthcoming local authorities elections.

UPFA General Secretary A.D. Susil Premajayantha and its Authorized Agent Lalith U. Gamage in their petition cited Elections Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake, Returning Officer for Akmeemana Anthony Bimal Indrajith, District Returning Officer Wijeratna Sakalasuriya, the Attorney General UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake and its candidates as well as JVP General Secretary Tilwin Silva and its candidates as Respondents.

The petition states that the right to add any other candidates whose names have appeared in any nomination paper tendered by the UNP and the JVP and/or any other Political Group in respect of the Akmeemana Pradeshiya Sabha area for the Local Authorities Elections scheduled for 17.03.2011 and/or any other party, should the necessity for same arise and depending on the disclosure made by the Respondents.

It claims the UPFA is one of the two main political parties in the country and has a large voter base Island-wide including Galle District and more particularly the Akmeemana PS area.

It stated that on 27.01.2011, within the time frame stipulated for nominations, its Authorized Agent handed over to the Returning Officer the nomination paper containing the names of the candidates nominated by the UPFA in respect of the Akmeemana PS area. The nomination paper contained the names of 19 candidates. (S.S.Selvanayagam)