The Court of Appeal today rejected the request made by the Northern Province Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran and Provincial Ministers Anandi Sashitharan and K. Sivanesan to postpone the Contempt of Court case filed against them until a verdict is issued by the Supreme Court.
Appeals Court had recently issued an interim order against the gazette notification to remove the former Provincial Minister of Fisheries, Transport, Trade and Rural Development B. Deniswaran from his ministerial portfolio.
Deniswaran filed a complaint at the Court of Appeal against CM Wigneswaran accusing him of Contempt of Court by failing to carry out the court order to re-appoint him in his ministerial portfolio.
When the case was called before the two-Judge bench comprising Justices Kumudini Wickramasinghe and Janak De Silva today, the lawyers representing the Northern Province Chief Minister and the other ministers have informed the Court that a hearing will be held on the 28th in the Supreme Court regarding the matter.
Accordingly, they requested the court to postpone the hearing of the case until the Supreme Court issues a verdict.
Objecting to the request, attorney representing former NP Minister B. Deniswaran informed the court that the Supreme Court has not issued an order to suspend the hearing of the case.
Therefore, the Court of Appeal has no obstruction to hear the Contempt of Court charges against Chief Minister Wigneswaran and the two other provincial ministers, the attorney representing B. Deniswaran has informed the court.
Considering the submissions, the Court of Appeal decided to reject the request sought by the attorneys representing Wigneswaran and decided to hear the contempt of court case.
Subsequently, the attorneys representing the Chief Minister presented preliminary objections against the decision of the Court of Appeal, claiming that it has no authority to hear the Contempt of Court case.
Accordingly, the hearing of the preliminary objections was taken up before the court and further hearing of the objections was postponed to October 16.
Meanwhile, the Court of Appeal extended the interim order, halting the decision of Chief Minister Wigneswaran to remove former NP Minister B. Deniswaran from his ministerial portfolio until October 17.
Courtesy: Colombo Page
