Rejection of nominations: Court further suspends election activities till today

By Lakmal Sooriyagoda

The Court of Appeal yesterday directed the relevant returning officers to suspend all election activities until today (03), in connection with local government institutions where political parties and independent groups have filed petitions challenging the rejection of nomination papers.  

This suspension order applies exclusively to local government institutions where the rejection of nominations has been challenged in court. The directive was issued after the Court of Appeal bench, comprising Justice (Acting President) M.T. Mohammed Laffar and Justice K.P. Fernando, considered approximately 30 writ petitions.  

During the hearing, all parties involved reached an agreement before the Court of Appeal to re-accept nominations that had been filed with original birth certificates. Petitioners also highlighted the rejection of nominations due to the submission of certified birth certificates rather than originals, as well as the failure to submit nominations by an authorized person. They contended that the matter directly pertains to the people’s franchise rights, arguing that the primary objective should be to allow candidates to contest the election and enable voters to make the final decision.