February 04, Colombo (LNW): A legal petition has been lodged in the Court of Appeal, demanding the invalidation of the parliamentary seat held by Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala.
The petition was filed by Renuka Perera, the Administrative Secretary of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), and names Minister Wijepala, the Secretary-General of Parliament, and the Attorney General as the respondents in the case.
The crux of the petition is a claim made by Perera, who asserts that Minister Wijepala, who was appointed to his current role on November 18, 2024, was subsequently reported to have also been named as the President’s Chief of Staff.
This claim was based on a report published by the Sunday Times on December 10, 2024, which suggested that Wijepala had indeed assumed this additional position.
Further substantiating this claim, Perera cites a Right to Information (RTI) request that reportedly confirmed Wijepala’s appointment to the President’s staff.
The petitioners argue that under Article 91 of Sri Lanka’s Constitution, any state official holding a position in the government, such as the role of Chief of Staff, is prohibited from maintaining a parliamentary seat or voting in Parliament.
This, they argue, renders Wijepala ineligible to serve as a Member of Parliament.
The petition requests the Court of Appeal to issue a declaration disqualifying Wijepala from holding his parliamentary seat and also to issue an interim order to prevent him from attending parliamentary sessions or voting until a final decision is made.
Furthermore, the petition seeks an order barring Wijepala from continuing in his capacity as Public Security Minister, pending the court’s ruling.
