23 May 2020 12:00 am
By Yoshitha Perera
A petition which has been filed at the Supreme Court seeking a writ order for the Election Commission to reject the nomination papers submitted by the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) for the upcoming general election, will be considered by the Supreme Court on May 29.
The petition filed by the United National Party (UNP) candidate Oshala Anil Herath through Attorney-at-Law Manjula Balasuriya will be considered before Supreme Court Judges, Justice L.T.B. Dehideniya, Justice Padman Surasena and Justice Gamini Amarasekara.
The petitioner points out that the party which has handed over nominations for SJB has been registered under ‘Ape Jathika Peramuna’.
The petitioner states that SJB leader Sajith Premadasa and General Secretary Ranjith Maddumabandara are still members of the UNP and they are holding the positions of Deputy Leader and Senior Deputy Chairman of the UNP respectively.
The petitioner further points out that the appointment of Ranjith Madduma Bandara as the General Secretary of the SJB has not been approved by the Working Committee of the UNP. Accordingly, the petitioner claims that the nomination papers submitted with the signature of Ranjith Maddumabandara as the General Secretary of SJB were illegal.
The petitioner has filed this petition in the Supreme Court seeking a determination that the Election Commission has no jurisdiction to accept the nomination papers and to nullify the relevant nomination papers.
Members of the Election Commission, Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya, SJB Leader Sajith Premadasa, General Secretary of SJB former MP Ranjith Madduma Bandara, Chairman of ‘Ape Jathika Peramuna’ Senaka Haripriya de Silva and its Secretary Diana Gamage have been named respondents to the petition.