The Court of Appeal today issued a stay order preventing the Magistrate's Court from hearing the Avant Garde Case in which former Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and eight others are defendants. 

 The stay order will be effective until a final verdict is given for the revision petition filed with the Appeals Court by the former Defence Secretary. 

The former Defence Secretary's lawyers argued today that the manner in which the case was heard was in violation of the Bribery Act. 

On the same grounds, Romesh de Silva PC appearing on behalf of Rajapaksa requested that the court issue injunction against the Magistrate's Court's hearing.

The Bribery Commission was asked to submit Objections if any on August 26.