The Court of Appeal has issued notice to three individuals including the Northern Province Chief Minister (CM) C. V. Wigneswaran, to present submissions on September 07, with regard to the Contempt of Court charges by failing to carry out a court order.

Provincial Ministers Anandi Sasidharan and K. Sivanesan have also been issued notice along with the Chief Minister.

Judge bench comprising Justices Kumudini Wickramasinghe and Janak De Silva issued the notice, taking into consideration the petition submitted by the former Provincial Minister Balasubramaniam Deniswaran, which accuses said individuals of Contempt of Court. 

Deniswaran states that the Appeals Court had recently issued an interim order against the gazette notification to remove him from his ministerial portfolio. 

According to him, the Appeals Courts had also ordered to re-appoint him to the ministerial post. However, the Northern Province CM has failed to carry out the court order, mentioned Deniswaran in his petition.

Meanwhile, the interim order issued by the Appeals Court halting the decision of CM Wigneswaran to remove Deniswaran, who served as the Northern Province Fisheries, Transport, Trade and Rural Development Minister until last year, from his ministerial portfolio has been extended to September 10.

The court ordered the respondents to submit objections before the said date.

Deniswaran stated before the court that, CM Wigneswaran had decided to remove him from his ministerial post in August 2017, accusing him of corruption charges.   

Petitioner B. Deniswaran says that, according to the Constitution, only a governor possesses the authority to remove a minister of a provincial council, not the chief minister.