Sri Lanka Supreme Court dismisses Petition challenging upcoming Presidential Election

The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka has dismissed the Fundamental Rights (FR) petition asserting that the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was not properly passed in Parliament, seeking to prevent the holding of the Presidential Election until a referendum is called to ensure its proper passage.

The petition, filed by Attorney-at-Law Aruna Laksiri, argued that the amendment, which restricts the President’s power to dissolve Parliament, was improperly passed without a referendum and thus should not be considered valid law.

The petition was reviewed by a Supreme Court bench comprising Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya, and Justices Arjuna Obeysekera and Priyantha Fernando.

They dismissed the petition, stating it lacked merit, and ordered the petitioner to pay Rs. 500,000 in costs by July 31, 2024.

The respondents in the case included the Election Commission and its members, the General Secretary of Parliament, and the Attorney General.

Related Articles:

• Sri Lanka Supreme Court to hear petition on legality of upcoming Presidential Election
• Another FR Petition filed seeking halt of Sri Lanka’s Presidential Election