Contempt of court application against Roshan Ranasinghe withdrawn

Colombo, March 19 (Daily Mirror) - A contempt of court application filed against former Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe has been withdrawn before the Court of Appeal. 

The case, brought forward by Attorney-at-Law Dimitri Shiraz Augustus Pietrangeli, challenged Ranasinghe’s alleged contemptuous behaviour during a parliamentary session on November 8, 2023.

During the hearing, counsel for the petitioner requested to withdraw the application, leading to the dismissal of the petition without costs. 

The Bar Association of Sri Lanka had intervened in support of the petitioner, while former Parliamentarians, including Prof. G.L. Peiris and Dullas Allahapperuma, opposed the petition.

First respondent Roshan Ranasinghe and the intervenient-petitioners Prof. G.L. Peiris, Dullas Allahapperuma and four other former Parliamentarians had raised preliminary objections as to the maintainability of the contempt petition on the grounds of lack of jurisdiction and non-justiciability.

It is in these circumstances, when the matter came up before the Court of Appeal, that the petitioner’s counsel moved to withdraw the matter. Accordingly, the petition was dismissed without costs.

Chandaka Jayasundere PC with Suzie Beling appeared for the petitioner. Kanag-Isvaran PC with Uditha Egalahewa PC and Shenal Fernando appeared for former Minister Roshan Ranasinghe while N.K. Ashokbharan appeared for Prof. G.L. Peiris, Dullas Allahapperuma and four other former Parliamentarians.