The Supreme Court today (12 December) dismissed a petition filed by a lawyer, alleging that his fundamental rights were violated by the Constitutional Council’s (CC) decision to reject then-President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s proposal to appoint Appeals Court Chairman Nissanka Bandula Karunaratne as a Supreme Court Judge.
The lawyer who filed the petition was ordered to pay court fees of Rs 1.5 million, with Rs 500,000 to be paid to each of the three civilian members of the Constitutional Council, and Rs 500,000 to the government.
Lawyer B.P.M.S Pathirathne, the petitioner, in his petition requested the Supreme Court to issue an interim order preventing then President Ranil Wickremesinghe from appointing someone else to fill the vacancy in the Supreme Court until the final determination of the application. The petitioner also asked the Court to declare that the CC’s decision to reject Wickremesinghe’s nomination of Justice Karunaratne to fill the vacancy in the Supreme Court violates the petitioner’s fundamental rights. Additionally, he sought an order directing the CC to approve the then President’s nominee.
Among the 11 respondents cited in the petition were members of the CC, including the Speaker, the Prime Minister, and the Leader of the Opposition, as well as the Attorney General.
