General Secretary of the United National Party (UNP) Akila Viraj Kariyawasam on May 21 filed a Fundamental Rights (FR) petition in the Supreme Court stating that the fundamental rights of his and the people of the country are violated by the failure to convene the new Parliament for more than three months after the dissolution of the eighth Parliament, reports Colombo Page. The Attorney General on behalf of the President and the Attorney General are named as respondents. The UNP General Secretary in his petition requested the apex court to issue an injunction invalidating the gazette notification issued by the President on March 2 dissolving the eighth Parliament.
The petition further states that after the dissolution of the eight Parliament, the Elections Commission decided to hold the election for the ninth Parliament on June 20. It points out that the election date is after three months from the date of the dissolution of Parliament and the decision of the Election Commission is illegal. The petitioner states that the new parliamentary party should be summoned not less than three months after the dissolution of the Parliament, but the failure to do so and the absence of the old Parliament is a violation of the Constitution. The petitioner notes that according to the Constitution new Parliament should be summoned not later than three months after the dissolution of Parliament. Failure to do so and not reconvening the old Parliament is a violation of the Constitution, the Petitioner adds.