The Colombo District Court has ordered to further extend the interim injunction order issued preventing the Sri Lanka Freedom Party’s (SLFP) Executive Committee from removing Duminda Dissanayake, Lasantha Alagiyawanna and Mahinda Amaraweera from their respective positions in the party, until October 9.

The Colombo District Judge Sandun Withana issued this order when a plaint filed by the relevant MPs was taken up today (30).

Petitioners Lasantha Alagiyawanna, Duminda Dissanayake and Mahinda Amaraweera claim that the decision taken by former President Maithripala Sirisena and others to arbitrarily remove them from their positions in the SLFP was completely unlawful. 

They have filed these petitions before the Colombo District Court seeking an order to invalidate those decisions of the SLFP executive committee.

A group of individuals including former President Maithripala Sirisena and Acting General Secretary of SLFP Sarathi Dushmantha Mithrapala have been named as respondents of the relevant plaints, through which an order is sought declaring that the decision taken by the party’s executive committee to expel them without any disciplinary investigation to be unlawful.

The Executive Committee of the SLFP decided to remove Dissanayake, Alagiyawanna and Amaraweera from their respective positions in the party, during a special party meeting held on March 30.

Accordingly, Dissanayake was stripped of his post as the National Organizer, Alagiyawanna was removed as the Treasurer and Amaraweera as the Senior Vice President.

Meanwhile, SLFP also appointed a new Senior Vice President, a Treasurer and a National Organizer after the trio was stripped of their respective positions.

Thereby, SLFP’s Mahiyanganaya Constituency Organizer K. P. Gunawardena was appointed to the post of National Organizer, former Western Provincial Minister Hector Bethmage as the Treasurer and former Central Province Chief Minister Sarath Ekanayake as the Senior Vice President.

This decision was communicated to SLFP members during a special party meeting convened by the Chairman of the SLFP, former President Maithripala Sirisena, amidst the controversy of his statements regarding the Easter attacks’ masterminds.

(adaderana.lk)

(This story, originally published by adaderana.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)