• Diana’s petition against SJB to be heard next week

The Court of Appeal has fixed 6 June to deliver the verdict of the petition filed seeking a writ to disqualify State Minister of Tourism Diana Gamage from holding a Parliamentary seat.

The order was issued by the Court bench consisting of the President of the Court, Justice Nissanka Bandula Karunaratne and Justice A. Marikkar.

Meanwhile, the petition filed by Gamage seeking an order to annul the decision taken by the main Parliamentary Opposition, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) is due to be heard on 8 May. Dates for the hearing of the petition were decided upon when the case was taken up before a three-Judge bench of the Supreme Court, comprising Justice, President’s Counsel Priyantha Jayawardena, Kumudini Wickremasinghe and Achala Wengappuli, yesterday (2). In her petition, she accused the Party of attempting to revoke her Parliamentary seat on account of the fact that she supported the 20th Amendment to the Constitution. She further noted that no disciplinary action or investigation was taken by the political Party in prior, highlighting that therefore, the decision taken by the SJB is illegal and in violation of the legal principle of natural justice. A group of persons including the SJB General Secretary and Opposition Parliamentarian Ranjith Madduma Bandara, the Chairman of the Election Commission and the Secretary General of the Parliament have been named as respondents in the petition filed by Gamage.