FR petition against appointing Ranil & Rathana Thero as MPs

A Fundamental Rights (FR) petition has been filed against the appointment of United National Party (UNP) Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe and Our Power of People Party (OPPP) member Venerable Athuraliye Rathana Thera as members of Parliament.

General Secretary of Vinivida Peramuna Nagananda Kodituwakku had filed the petition today (July 13) with the Supreme Court, seeking an order invalidating the two appointments.

The Election Commission (EC) Chairman Nimal G. Punchihewa and its members, former EC Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya, former UNP General Secretary Akila Viraj Kariyawasam, UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, MP Ven. Rathana Thero and several others have been named as its respondents.

The petitioner pointed out that all political parties were required to hand over their National List nominations within a period of one week from receiving the notice by the party secretaries from the election body on August 07, 2020.

However, the UNP and the OPPP had failed to submit their nominations within the mandatory period, in compliance with the notice, he added.

The petitioner stressed that the election body’s move to appoint the former PM Ranil Wickremesinghe and Ven. Rathana Thero as National List MPs several months later is unconstitutional.

Thereby, Kodituwakku sought the Supreme Court to annul the parliamentary membership of the duo and to rule that the relevant appointments have violated the fundamental rights of the citizens.