UNP MPs case: Enjoining Orders extended

Sandasen Marasinghe

COLOMBO: Colombo District Court Judge Aruna C. Ranasinghe on Monday refused the request by UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe to vacate the two enjoining orders issued against him preventing suspending 11 UNP MPs from the UNP working Committee and from its membership who joined the Government recently.

The Court also extended the enjoining orders until March 19.

Defendants Wickremesinghe and General Secretary of UNP Tissa Attanayake requested to vacate the two enjoining orders and stated on an earlier date that the Plaintiff-respondents (11 UNP members) had instituted this action and obtained enjoining orders by suppressing and misrepresenting material facts and documents from the Court.

The Court observed while issuing the order that the defendants had not submitted enough evidence to show that the plaintiff-respondents had suppressed and misrepresented material facts from the court.

The Court also ordered the defendants to file objections on March 19.

The Court on an earlier date issued two enjoining orders preventing suspension of Karu Jayasuriya, G.L. Pieris, Bandula Gunawardana, Rajitha Senaratne, Milinda Moragoda, Gamini Lokuge, Neomal Perera, M.M. Musthafa, Mano Wijeratne, P. Dayaratne and Hemakumara Nanayakkara from the UNP working Committee and the membership of the UNP by means of a letter dated February 7, signed by Wickremesinghe.

President’s Counsel Romesh de Silva, Attorneys Arsha Amarasekara, Kanchana Pieris and Sugath Kaldera instructed by Sudath Perera Associates appeared for the plaintiffs while President’s Counsel Parathalingam, President’s Counsel Harsha Soza and Attorney N.R. Shivendran and Attorney Ronald Perera appeared for Defendant (Wickramasinghe) instructed by Samararatne Associates.