The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka, in a landmark judgement, dismissed a Fundamental Rights petition filed by a lawyer challenging the Constitutional Council’s decision to reject former President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s nomination of Court of Appeal President Nissanka Bandula Karunaratne as a Supreme Court Judge.
The verdict was delivered today (12) by a Three Bench of the Supreme Court, comprising Justices Preethi Padman Surasena, Achala Wengappuli, and Mahinda Samayawardena.
Additionally, The court ordered the petitioner to pay costs of Rs. 1.5 million to the three members of the Constitutional Council.
The petitioner, Attorney-at-Law B P M S Pathirathne had requested the Supreme Court to issue an interim order staying President Ranil Wickremesinghe from appointing another to fill the vacancy in the SC until the final determination of the application.
He had also asked the Court to rule that the Constitutional Council’s decision to reject the nomination made by President Wickremesinghe to appoint Justice Karunaratne to fill the vacancy in the Supreme Court as a violation of the petitioner’s fundamental rights, and to issue an order to the Constitutional Council directing it to approve the President’s nominee to the Supreme Court.
Members of the Constitutional Council including the Speaker, the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition were among the 11 respondents cited in the petition, along with the Attorney General , Journalist Ruwani Fonseka, Dr Mahim Mendis and Ven. Dambara Amila Thero.
