UNP restrained from suspending Rajitha

Sandasen MARASINGHE

Colombo District Judge Sampath Wijeratne yesterday issued an enjoining order restraining United National Party leader Ranil Wickremesinghe and the UNP from suspending the party membership of Construction and Engineering Services Minister Rajitha Senaratne from the UNP.

The Court issued the order after Minister Senaratne filed a plaint before the Court alleging that the defendants of the plaint had no right to take a decision to suspend his party membership from the UNP as informed to him by a letter dated May 28, 2009.

He submitted that the General Secretary of the UNP Tissa Attanayake in the letter dated May 28, 2009 stated that UNP had learnt Rajitha Senaratne accepted the position of Sri Lanka Freedom Party organiser for Beruwela and asked him to show cause before July 15 why he should not be suspended from his UNP membership.

Minister Senaratne filed the plaint citing UNP, its leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, General Secretary Tissa Attanayake and 89 others as the defendants.

Plaintiff filing the plaint before the Court stated that he contested under the UNP banner at the General election in 2004 and was elected a Member of Parliament. Later he joined the Government in January 2007 and he was appointed as the Minister of Construction and Engineering Services. But he continued to be a member of the UNP.

The case was put off for July 27.

Attorney Ikram Mohamed appeared for the plaintiff instructed by S. B. Dissanayake Associates.