Despite the court order against it, the protest near the Bribery Commission against the summoning of former defense secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa will go ahead as scheduled, Pivithuru Hela Urumaya leader Udaya Gammanpila told Asian Mirror on Thursday morning.

The protest will take place "while respecting the court order" he added.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa was summoned to the commission over the cases regarding Avant-Garde Security Services and Rakna Lanka Araksha Limited. Rajapaksa has continuously insisted on his innocence on these allegations.

Members of the United People’s Freedom Alliance and many other organizations are organizing this protest. “No single person or organization can take credit for organizing it”, Gammanpila told Asian Mirror on Wednesday.

Colombo Magistrate last evening issued a court order preventing protests from taking place near the Bribery Commission. The protest was due start at 8.00am on Thursday.