AGENCIES / COLOMBO
Sri Lankan leader Mahinda Rajapaksa will move the Supreme Court today against a lower court order which barred him from acting as Prime Minister. In a press statement, Rajapaksa said that Supreme Court has the only power to interpret the Constitution.
A Sri Lankan court yesterday barred Mahinda Rajapaksa from acting as Prime Minister, further aggravating constitutional crisis in the island nation. This comes as a major setback to President Maithripala Sirisena who had installed his former rival in place of Ranil Wickremesinghe in a controversial decision last month.
The Court of appeal issued an interim order restraining new government from functioning until the petition is heard on 12th of this month. The petition was filed in court of appeal by 122 MPs of UNP and its associates to restrain Mr Rajapaksa and his cabinet from functioning. The petitioners had argued that Mr Rajapaksa has lost the no confidence motion in parliament and thus the cabinet stands dissolved.
President Maithirpala Sirisena in his meeting with Tamil leaders after the judgment accepted that there is no PM or government at present and said that he will take necessary action within next 24 hours. Ousted PM Ranil Wickremsinghe in his reaction said the victory of democratic institutions over whims of individuals is the legacy of good governance agenda.