News

SC overturns Appeal Court order over case against Ravi Karunanayake

Published

12 months ago

May 24, 2024

nipuni

The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka has today granted special leave to appeal in a high-profile bribery case against former Minister of Finance Ravi Karunanayake.

The case centers around allegations that Karunanayake accepted an apartment from Arjun Aloysius, a director of a primary dealer company.

This development follows the submission of a special leave to appeal application by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC).

The application sought to challenge an earlier decision by the Court of Appeal, which had overruled a preliminary objection raised by CIABOC. The objection contended that the accused, Karunanayake, did not have the right to appeal against an interim order of the High Court.

The legal wrangling began in the High Court, where Karunanayake’s defense argued that he could not be considered a ‘public servant’ under the Bribery Act. They pointed to Article 170 of the Constitution, which excludes Ministers from the definition of ‘public officer.’ However, the High Court rejected this argument, ruling that the former Minister of Finance falls within the scope of a ‘public servant’ and could therefore be indicted under the Bribery Act.

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

News

Internal disputes delay LG member lists

Published

3 hours ago

May 17, 2025

editor

Due to various issues that have arisen within many political parties during the selection of members for LG bodies, submission of name lists to the Election Commission (EC) are being delayed, reports say.

As a result, the establishment of LG bodies is expected to be delayed further.

In this backdrop, the EC has instructed all political parties and independent groups to submit their name lists within a week.

The gazette on the newly appointed members will follow only after the EC receives all lists.

(Source : Lankadeepa)

News

Ministry cancels Br. Charles’ program at Padeniya temple

Published

3 hours ago

May 17, 2025

editor

The Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs has issued a letter over a program organized by Br. Charles Thomas.

The relevant program is scheduled to be held today (May 17) at the historic Padeniya temple and is allegedly scheduled to be held in a manner that is harmful to Buddhism.

The letter notes that the Deputy Minister has taken steps to cancel the program following complaints from various parties, citing strong displeasure expressed by the local Buddhist community.

News

Applications open for A/L Vocational stream

Published

3 hours ago

May 17, 2025

editor

The Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education has announced that applications are now open for admissions for Grade 12 students for the Advanced Level (A/L) Vocational stream subjects.

According to the Ministry, the vocational stream will be offered in 608 schools starting this year.

The Ministry further clarified that students who have not passed the GCE Ordinary Level (O/L) examination will still be eligible to apply, as O/L results will not be a determining factor for admission to this stream.

For this, students need to submit an application to the principal of the school they wish to enroll in.