In a significant ruling, the Court of Appeal directed the Election Commission (EC) to accept 35 additional nomination papers for the 2025 local government elections that had previously been rejected by election officials.
The ruling was delivered by a bench consisting of Acting President of the Court of Appeal Justice Mohamed Lafar Tahir and Justice Priyantha Fernando. The Court ordered the relevant Returning Officers to accept these nominations, following hearings on several petitions filed by political parties and independent groups contesting the rejections.
This latest decision follows a similar ruling from last week, where the Court of Appeal instructed the Election Commission to accept 37 nomination papers that had been rejected earlier.
This ruling has been viewed as a victory for the political parties and independent groups, ensuring a more inclusive participation in the upcoming local government elections.
