Writ of Quo Warranto against Ranil: CA fixes for support on 12 February

By S.S. Selvanayagam

The Court of Appeal yesterday fixed to support on 12 February at 1.30 p.m. the Writ of Quo Warranto (a writ or legal action requiring a person to show by what warrant an office is held) petition against Ranil Wickremesinghe from being a Member of Parliament .

The Bench comprised Justices A.L.S. Gooneratne and K. Priyantha Fernando.

UPFA Colombo Municipal Councillor Sharmila Gonawela who is Co-President of Women for Justice cited Ranil Wickremesinghe, Akila Viraj Kariyawasam and General Secretary of Parliament Dammika Dasanayake and two others as Respondents.

The Petitioner states Ranil Wickremesinghe is a shareholder of a private institution which had contracts for printing materials of public enterprises.

She is seeking the Court to issue an Interim Order preventing Wickremesinghe from functioning as an MP until the final determination.

She states that according to the provisions of the Constitution, it has been interpreted that MPs who engage in businesses by entering into contracts with State institutions are deemed disqualified from holding a set in Parliament.

She states while Wickremesinghe was functioning as a parliamentarian, a company of his was involved in business with State organisations and institutions and as such he could not act as a parliamentarian.She seeks the Court to declare that his membership in Parliament was null and void.

Uditha Egalahewa PC with N.K. Ashokbharan appeared for the Petitioner instructed by G.G. Arulpragasam, President’s Counsel K. Kanag Iswaran with Donald Perera PC and Niranjan Arulpragasam appeared for Ranil Wickremesinghe, and Suren Fernando appeared for Akila Viraj Kariyawasam. Senior State Counsel Manohara Jayasinghe appeared for the Attorney General.