(COLOMBO, LANKAPUVATH) –Sri Lanka’s ousted Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe praising the judiciary after the Supreme Court ruled that the dissolution of parliament by President Maithripala Sirisena last month was unconstitutional and illegal, expected the President to respect the court’s judgement.
“We trust that the President will promptly respect the judgment of the courts,” Wickremesinghe said in a Twitter post.
“The legislature, judiciary, and the executive are equally important pillars of a democracy and the checks and balances that they provide are crucial to ensuring the sovereignty of its citizens,” he said.
A seven judge-bench headed by Chief Justice Nalin Perera unanimously ruled that the gazette notification issued by the President on November 9th dissolving the parliament before its term was illegal.
Leader of Sri Lanka’s Muslim party, All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC) Rishad Bathiudeen praised the judiciary for upholding democracy and a historic victory for Sri Lanka and thanked the people for their support.
“ACMC praises Sri Lanka judiciary for upholding our Democracy today 13 December -A historic victory for Lanka. Unanimous verdict by all Hon .Judges! Thank You to all supportive citizens for joining us in the historic battle.
However, today’s Supreme Court decision would not challenge the sacking of Ranil Wickremesinghe from the Prime Minister post by President Sirisena.
The Apex court is scheduled to hear a separate petition tomorrow to determine the validity of a lower court’s injunction against the appointment Mahinda Rajapaksa to the Prime Minister post and the Sirisena-Rajapaksa cabinet.
