Supreme Court upholds expulsion of Manusha and Harin from SJB
COLOMBO – Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court on Friday (9) upheld the expulsion of Manusha Nanayakkara and Harin Fernando from the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB). The ruling will see both politicians lose their parliamentary seats and ministerial positions.
The three-judge bench announcing the decision to uphold the expulsion dismissed a petition filed by the two ministers seeking an order declaring the SJB’s decision to remove them from the party is unlawful.
Fernando and Nanayakkara, senior ministers of the current government, were expelled from the SJB when they took up ministerial portfolios in the Gotabaya Rajapaksa government, contravening the party’s stance as the main opposition in Parliament. The SJB initially suspended the MPs from the party in May 2022 and later based on a working committee decision, expelled them in July 2023.
Fernando currently serves as the Minister of Tourism Lands and Sports, while Nanayakkara is the Minister of Labour and Foreign Employment.
Fernando and Nanayakkara, initially sworn in as Minister of Tourism and Lands and Minister of Labour and Foreign Employment, respectively, resigned from their portfolios along with the rest of the Cabinet, on July 9, 2022, following the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. However, they were both reappointed to the same ministerial portfolios by President Ranil Wickremesinghe when he appointed a new Cabinet on July 22, 2022.
In accepting the ministerial positions, Fernando and Nanayakkara argued they were acting in the national interest, attempting to address the severe economic crisis facing the country. However, their actions were seen by the SJB as a betrayal of party principles, leading to disciplinary action.
The Supreme Court’s ruling validates the SJB’s decision, not only confirming their expulsion but also triggering their automatic disqualification from Parliament as per Sri Lankan electoral law. As a result, Fernando and Nanayakkara will also lose their ministerial portfolios and associated perks.
-ENCL/Agencies
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