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Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena was dealt a big blow by the Sri Lankan Supreme Court . It its ruling the Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that the dissolution of Parliament was ‘illegal’. It was the President’s controversial decision that plunged the island nation into an unprecedented political turmoil.
A seven-member apex court bench said that the President cannot dissolve Parliament till it completes its 4 1/2 year term, triggering demand for the impeachment of Sirisena as well as ex-strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa.
“I make order that the November 9 Gazette sacking Parliament has no force or effect in law and declare its operation illegal,” Chief Justice Nalin Perera said as he delivered the landmark judgement to a packed courtroom.
Fearing trouble, authorities beefed up the security around the Supreme Court and deployed the elite special task force.
United National Front (UNF) Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa said that the ruling was unanimous by the seven judge bench.
The decision has laid to rest one of the many controversial moves which had complicated the political and constitutional crisis emanating from President Sirisena’s decision on October 26 to sack the incumbent prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, and install former president Mahinda Rajapaksa in his place.
Later, he also dissolved the 225-member Parliament and called for a snap election on January 5. Sirisena, 67, sacked the Parliament when it appeared that Rajapaksa would not be able to muster the support of 113 MPs to gain a simple majority. Wickremesinghe on the other hand commands a majority in the House.
