The Attorney General raised preliminary objections before the Court of Appeal today, requesting that the petition filed seeking the issuance of a directive to revoke the Parliamentary seat of Minister of Public Security, Ananda Wijepala, be dismissed without examination.

The petition filed by Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Administrative Secretary Renuka Perera was taken up for consideration before the Acting President of the Court of Appeal Mohamed Lafar Tahir and Justice K.M.S. Dissanayake.

Representing the Attorney General, the Additional Solicitor General told the court that the most important stakeholders had not been named as respondents in the petition.

Pointing out that the President’s Chief of Staff is appointed by the President’s Secretary on the President’s directive, the Additional Solicitor General said the President’s Secretary has not been named as a respondent, which was a serious legal deficiency.

Accordingly, the Additional Solicitor General said there was no possibility of continuing this petition and requested that it be dismissed without examination.

At this point, Attorney Upul Kumarapperuma, appearing before the court on behalf of the respondent Minister Ananda Wijepala, argued that the appointment of the Chief of Staff of the President was made by the President himself, and that challenging the official act of the President before the Court of Appeal by filing a writ petition was not permissible.

Therefore, Attorney Upul Kumarapperuma presented his preliminary objections, stating that the Court of Appeal did not have the jurisdiction to consider this petition and requested that it be dismissed.

Attorney Vishva Perera, appearing on behalf of the petitioner, mentioned that the appointment of the Minister as the Chief of Staff of the President would not, in any way, be challenged by him. He emphasized that his contention was solely based on the fact that the respondent Minister was not qualified to sit in Parliament or cast a vote.

Considering the presented arguments, the Acting Chairman of the Court of Appeal stated that, since the respondents have raised preliminary objections regarding the possibility of proceeding with this petition, it is necessary to first issue a ruling on that matter.

Therefore, the judge instructed all parties involved in the petition to submit their written submissions on the preliminary objections by 18 March 2025.

The Vavuniya High Court has sentenced former Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police (SDIG) Lalith Jayasinghe to four years of rigorous imprisonment for releasing a suspect in connection with the murder of schoolgirl S. Vidya in Punguduthivu in 2015.

The underworld was nurtured with the blessings of the politicians for the last two, three decades, Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala said today. He told Parliament that after the NPP government came to power the underwolrd gets no political protection unlike in the past.

The Parliamentary Privilege Committee is expected to take action against MP Ramanathan Archchuna, Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne told Parliament today.

A 29-year-old man from Kadawatha was shot and killed at Moganwatta in Ja-Ela last night, police said. They said investigations are underway to determine the motive behind the shooting and to identify the suspects involved.

After receiving the first batch of vehicles, the price of a brand-new Bajaj RE three-wheeler will be Rs. 1,995,000. The David Pieris Motor Company stated that they currently do not have any brand-new vehicle stock available but are now open for bookings. Bajaj three-wheelers have been one of the highest employment generators in Sri Lanka.

Three suspects including a police constable were arrested over the murder of a 39-year-old man and his 6-year-old daughter in Middeniya this week, Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala said today. He told Parliament that the suspects have been identified as Police Constable I.L. Janaka Prasad and the others as Jeewan Prasad Kumara and Prabad Thushara.

The suspect who was arrested over the shooting incident at the Hulfsdorp Court complex has been identified as Samindu Dilshan Piyumanga Kandanaarachchi from Maharagama, Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala said today.

Cabinet spokesman and Minister Nalinda Jayatissa today expressed regrets over the remarks made by Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs Deputy Minister Sunil Watagala, who referred to his driver as ‘Buruwa’ (donkey).

Cabinet Spokesman and Minister Nalinda Jayatissa said that the government had no intention of cancelling the wind energy project in Mannar with Adani Green Energy and said the company withdrew from the project after failing to reach an agreement on providing electricity at the lowest possible rate.

A heated argument erupted in Parliament today when Deputy Minister Mahinda Jayasinghe came up with details on his recent visit to a Buddhist Training Centre in Kelaniya.

Claiming that the security of the country is at stake, Opposition MP Dayasiri Jayasekara said the Speaker of Parliament must take the responsibility if any of the MPs is murdered.

Claiming that only isolated incidents were reported in different parts of the country, Public Security Minister Ananada Wijepala said today these isolated incidents must not be considered as threats to national security.

Representatives from various political parties in Parliament convened with the Election Commission to discuss the scheduling of the upcoming local government elections. Opposition party representatives emphasised the need for the Election Commission to select a date that will allow Members of Parliament to fulfill their legislative duties without disruption, particularly during the budget debate.

Vehicle imports will be very risky as prices of vehicles have gone up remarkably, SJB MP Harsha De Silva said today. Opening the budget debate, he told Parliament that the President stated in his budget speech that the majority of tax revenue is expected from vehicle imports.

The heat felt by the human body is expected to rise to the 'Caution Level' tomorrow (19) in the Northern, North-Central, North-Western, Western and Southern Provinces, as well as in the Moneragala and Ratnapura districts, the Meteorology Department said.

The government will definitely take steps to reduce taxes on fuel in the future, Chief Government Whip, Minister Nalinda Jayatissa said today. He told Parliament that the government has provided the maximum relief possible to the people through the budget, adding that no taxes have been imposed in the budget.

Bakery owners have decided to reduce the price of a 450g loaf of bread by Rs. 10, following a Rs. 10 per kilogram reduction in wheat flour prices, the Trade Ministry said.

The Colombo High Court today granted bail to Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa after serving him with indictments in connection with the controversial Krrish deal case. Colombo High Court Judge Manjula Tillekaratne ordered Namal Rajapaksa to be released on a cash bail of Rs.100,000 with two sureties of Rs. 10 million each.

The budget 2025 has allocated Rs. 20 billion for national carrier SriLankan Airlines, for the repayment of the principal and interest of its loan.

In an obvious reference to the Adani group moving out of the renewable energy project, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, in his budget speech, asked whether the unit price of USD 0.08 quoted by it is justifiable. He was responding to concerns expressed by some over the company leaving Sri Lanka.