The Supreme Court yesterday decided (19) to extend the interim order preventing the acceptance of nominations for the Kalmunai Municipal Council in the Local Government Elections until the hearing of the petition is completed.
The Supreme Court issued this order, granting permission for a fundamental rights petition filed against not including ‘Saindamarudu’ as an Urban Council in the gazette notification issued by the Elections Commission calling for nominations on behalf of holding Local Government Elections.
The hearing of this petition was allowed on the basis that fundamental rights ensured through provisions 12(1),14(1)(a) and 10 of the Constitution, could be violated by not establishing the Kalmunai Municipal Council and not calling for nominations for the Saindamarudu Urban Council.
The petition was taken up before three-judge bench of the Supreme Court, comprising of Justice Vijith Malalgoda, Justice Yasantha Kodagoda and Justice Mahinda Samayawardena.
On this occasion, Attorney Suren Gnanaraj, representing the petitioners’ faction said that just because an election was required, the Election Commission did not have the ability to hold an election. If the Elections Commission needs to hold an election, it should be held according to the law, he emphasized.
Pointing out that steps have been taken by the Elections Commission to hold the election in all
Local Government bodies except for the Elpitiya Pradeshiya Sabha, Gnanaraj said further that voters belonging to the Saindamarudu Urban Council have been granted the hope of electing people’s representatives they prefer to that council.
However, he said that in the gazette notification issued by the Election Commission calling for nominations for the Local Government Elections the Saindamarudu Urban Council has not been included but nominations have been called for, for the Kalmunai Municipal Council through that.
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