Enjoining order extended
Sandasen MARASINGHE
Colombo District Judge Sampath Wijeratne yesterday extended the
enjoining order that restrained Sri Lanka Muslim Congress from
suspending the party membership of Deputy Minister K. Abdul Bhais from
the SLMC till June 02.
The Court also ordered 26 defendants to file written objections. The
UNP filed written objections on an earlier occasion and pleaded to
dismiss the case at the initial stage.
The enjoining order also restrained the United National Party from
taking action to suspend Deputy Minister sitting in Parliament by
informing the Secretary General of the Parliament based on the same
suspension of the membership from the SLMC.
Plaintiff Bhais cited 28 defendants including SLMC, its leader Rauf
Hakeem, Hassan Ali, UNP and its General Secretary Tissa Attanayake as
the respondents.
The Court earlier issued the order when SLMC member and Deputy
Minister K. Abdul Bhais filed a plaint before the District Court stating
that issuance of a letter on February 24 by SLMC General Secretary
Hassan Ali suspending his party membership based on a news item
published in a newspaper without any inquiry. So his suspension from the
SLMC party membership without inquiry was a total violation of natural
justice. The plaintiff further stated that the newspaper carried a
correction as the content of the disputed news item was incorrect. The
SLMC contested under the UNP banner at the last general election.
|