27 February 2019 11:20 am
Writ of Quo Warranto against Ranil:
By S.S. Selvanayagam
Court of Appeal yesterday (26) reserved its order for May 21 on the preliminary objections raised on the maintainability of the Writ of Quo Warranto application against Ranil Wickremesinghe.
The Bench comprising Justices Shiran Gooneratne and K. Priyantha Fernando granted the parties to file their Written Submission on or before April 1.
UPFA Colombo Municipal Councillor Sharmila Gonawela who is Co-President of ‘Women for Justice filed the Writ of Quo Warranto petition against Ranil Wickremesinghe from being a Member of Parliament.
Uditha Egalahewa PC with N.K. Ashokbharan appeared for the Petitioner made his reply to the Preliminary Objections.
Petitioner cited Ranil Wickremesinghe, Akila Viraj Kariyawasam and General Secretary of Parliament Dammika Dasanayake and two others as Respondents.
K. Kanag Iswaran PC appearing for Ranil Wickremesinghe in his preliminary objections submitted that it is a pure and mandatory law that the petition shall be filed in compliance with the Court Rule. The documents annexed hereto the petition is not duly certified and so the application cannot be supported.
It is mandatory requirements to file certified documents and the petition shall be supported by original or certified documents where the Rule regulates the mode of enforcing the law, he stated.
He invited the attention of the Court whether the documents filed by the Petitioner could be relied on.
Suren Fernando appeared for Akila Viraj Kariyawasam in his preliminary objections.
He sought the court to award futile cost to the Respondents as the Respondents retain private counsels for them.
Senior Deputy Solicitor General Vikum de Abrew also raised preliminary objection on the maintainability of the petition. He submitted that the petitioner has suppressed material facts.
Petitioner seeks the Court to declare that his membership in parliament was null and void.
Instructed by G.G.Arulpragasam, K.Kanag Iswaran PC with Niranjan Arulpragasam appeared for Ranil Wickremesinghe and Suren Fernando appeared for Akila Viraj Kariyawasam.