The ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) and the main Parliamentary Opposition, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) expect that the Supreme Court (SC) which upheld the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) decision to revoke the Party membership of the current Environment Minister Naseer Ahamed, will set a precedent in the legal proceedings related to Parliamentarians who left their parties.

The SC, in its ruling with regard to a petition filed by Ahamed, challenging the SLMC's decision to expel him from the Party, deemed the SLMC's decision as valid and lawful.

Since there are several MPs who left the SLPP and joined the SJB led Opposition, as well as those who left the SJB and joined the Government, The Daily Morning queried the views of the General Secretaries of the two Parties regarding the said SC ruling.

Commenting to The Daily Morning, the SLPP General Secretary and Government MP attorney Sagara Kariyawasam said: "Actions can definitely be taken against those who went against the SLPP's decisions too. We are looking into the matter now. In the future, we will take action to remove them from the Party."

SJB General Secretary MP Ranjith Maddumabandara, speaking to The Daily Morning, said: "We have already expelled those who joined the Government from our Party. We believe that this SC ruling will set a precedent in the ongoing lawsuits related to the matter."

The SLMC’s decision to expel Ahamed, who was also the Party's Deputy Leader, came after he had voted in favour of the third reading of the Budget for the year 2022, in December, 2021. He had since been working in support of the Governments led by former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, and incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe. The SLMC’s relevant hierarchy had then decided to revoke Ahamed's Party membership. There are several others who crossed over from the Opposition to the Government, vice versa, and others who left their political parties and currently function as ‘independent’ MPs in the Opposition.