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SC to hear petition against Local Government polls Bill on Jan. 24

Published

1 year ago

2025/01/23

By A.J.A. Abeynayake

The Supreme Court yesterday (22) fixed Jan. 24 as the date to hear a petition challenging the constitutionality of certain clauses of the Local Authorities Elections Special Provisions Bill, which was recently tabled in Parliament.

The petition filed by President’s Counsel Nizam Kariapper, Member of Parliament and General Secretary of the SLMC, alleges that the Bill infringes on citizens’ voting rights and violates their fundamental rights.

The petition was taken up before a three-judge bench comprising Justices Yasantha Kodagoda, Janak de Silva, and Arjuna Obeysekara. After considering the submissions, the bench ordered that the petition be scheduled for a hearing on the facts of the case on 24 Jan.

The petitioner contends that the government introduced the Bill with the intention of annulling the nominations submitted for the previously scheduled local government elections. He argues that certain provisions of the proposed legislation undermine the democratic process by infringing on citizens’ right to vote, a fundamental aspect of the country’s democratic framework.

Kariapper has requested the Supreme Court to issue a ruling declaring that the contentious provisions of the Bill can only be enacted if passed by a two-thirds majority in Parliament and approved by the people at a referendum. This move underscores the petitioner’s assertion that the Bill carries significant constitutional implications that require broader legislative and public approval.

The Local Authorities Elections Special Provisions Bill has sparked considerable debate, with critics accusing the government of attempting to delay or manipulate the local government elections. The petition before the Supreme Court adds a legal dimension to the ongoing political controversy, as the court’s decision could have far-reaching consequences for the future of local governance and electoral processes in Sri Lanka, the petitioner has said.

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Navy seize an Indian fishing boat poaching in Mannar seas

Published

1 hour ago

2026/02/24

Priyan

During an operation conducted in the dark hours of 22 Feb 26, the Sri Lanka Navy seized an Indian fishing boat and apprehended twelve (12) Indian fishermen while they were poaching in Sri Lankan waters, in the sea area south of Mannar.

The seized boat and the Indian fishermen were handed over to the Fisheries Inspector of Dikovita for onward legal proceedings.

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Families of those sentenced to death for killing MP Atukorale seek AKD’s intervention

Published

6 hours ago

2026/02/24

Sahan Weerasooriya

FSL assures legal backing for them

Families of those sentenced to death by the Three-member Gampaha High Trial-at-Bar, over the killing of SLPP MP Amarakeerthi Atukorale, and his police bodyguard, met a senior official of the Presidential Secretariat, yesterday (23), to seek backing for their move to appeal against the verdict.

Having made representations, they addressed the media, outside the Presidential Secretariat, where they declared their intention to move the higher court against the decision.

The SLPP MP and his security officer were killed by an Aragalaya mob on 09 May, 2022, at Nittambuwa. The same day Aragalaya mobs unleashed violence against the then government MPs across the country, torching dozens of their properties.

The Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) yesterday said that they would help the families of those sentenced to death to move court against the Gampaha High Court Trial-at-Bar decision. Responding to The Island queries, FSP spokesman Pubudu Jayagoda said that their representatives had already met the families and necessary work was being done to move the Supreme Court. Twenty three persons were acquitted and four handed six-month prison terms, suspended for five years

Jayagoda said that one of the HC judges differed in the ruling. Asked whether they received backing from any other political party and groups that had been involved in the 2022 protest campaign to defend those who had been found guilty, Jayagoda said such support was lacking.

The JVP/NPP played a significant role in the violent protest campaign that forced President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to step down. Pointing out that the Attorney General, too, was appealing against the court decision on the basis that the number of persons sentenced to death should be much higher, Jayagoda said that the Nittambuwa incident couldn’t be examined in isolation without taking into consideration the SLPP goon attack on Galle Face protesters on 09 May, 2022. (SF)

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OPV leaves Baltimore, expected in Colombo in May

Published

6 hours ago

2026/02/24

Sahan Weerasooriya

SLN officers wave to those on the shore as the newly acquired P 628 departs Baltimore, US (pic courtesy SLN)

Offshore Patrol Vessel P 628 of the Sri Lanka Navy departed Baltimore, USA, for Colombo, on 20 February.

The ex-United States Coast Guard Cutter, USCGC Decisive was officially handed over to the SLN on 02 December, 2025, as the latest addition to the SLN fleet, under the Pennant Number P 628.

Measuring 64 metres in length, this ‘B-Type Reliance Class 210-foot Cutter’ is equipped with advanced technological systems and facilities, capable of conducting extensive surveillance operations spanning up to 6,000 nautical miles per patrol.

The vessel’s voyage to Colombo is historic, possibly marking the longest-ever passage undertaken by a Sri Lanka Navy ship. Covering approximately 14,775 nautical miles, the journey will see the P 628 navigate from Baltimore through the Atlantic Ocean, the Panama Canal (a first for a Sri Lankan naval vessel), the Pacific Ocean, and into the Indian Ocean, via the Straits of Malacca. The ship is expected to arrive in Sri Lanka during the first week of May, 2026.