Petition against Rajapaksa to be heard on Nov 30

The petition challenging Mahinda Rajapaksa's premiership of Sri Lanka will be heard in the Appeal Court on November 30.

According to Colombo Page, as many as 122 Parliamentarians of United National Party (UNP), Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and Tamil National Alliance (TNA) have filed a Writ of Quo Warranto on November 23 in the Court of Appeal challenging Rajapaksa on his authority as he continued to hold the office of Prime Minister after a no-confidence motion had been passed in Parliament against him.

The Court decided to hear the petition for consideration on November 30 and December 3 when it was called before a two-judge bench comprising Justices Preethi Padman Surasena and Arjuna Obeysekera.

The bench has also urged the attorneys representing the petitioners to provide the relevant documents to the respondents' party before the trial date.

Speaker Karu Jayasuriya has confirmed that Rajapaksa does not have a majority in the Parliament following which the petition was filed.

The petition argues that Rajapaksa's appointment should be annulled as it is unconstitutional.

Petitioners asserted that according to the 13th Amendment of the Constitution, Rajapaksa cannot legally hold the Premier's office.

Sri Lanka has been in a state of political turmoil for months following the ouster of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.