Former UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake today filed a petition before the Supreme Court challenging his expulsion from the United National Party (UNP).

Attanayake pledged support to then President Mahinda Rajapaksa on December 8, 2014, ahead of the Presidential Election in January 2015. On December 11, 2014, he was appointed as Health Minister by President Rajapaksa. He lost his ministerial portfolio after Rajapaksa was defeated in the election on January 8, 2015. He was expelled from the UNP following a decision taken by its working committee on February 9.

On February 2, 2015, Attanayake was arrested on criminal charges of falsifying documents and was released on bail several days later.

Attanayake is accused of fabricating a document to discredit President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe during the presidential election campaign.