Sri Lanka’s Appellate Court today dismissed a writ petition filed by an individual questioning Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena’s mental health condition.
The Court of Appeal deciding to dismiss the petition without proceeding said the petitioner’s intention is to insult the President and the country.
The Court also ordered the petitioner, Thakshila Lakmali Jayawardena, a resident in Colombo 12, to pay Rs 100,000 legal costs to the Government since the petition has been filed without any factual or legal basis.
The petition was taken for consideration of today (07), before the Court of Appeal President Justice Preethi Padman Surasena and Justice Arjuna Obeysekara.
Also, the Court of Appeal further determined that the petitioner had filed the petition to insult the President and to bring disgrace to the country as a whole.
The Additional Solicitor General appearing for the Attorney General told the court that in order to act according to the Ordinance on Mental Illnesses, the petitioner should first lodge a complaint at a police station if there is any information on a person having a mental illness. And then if the police do not take an action on the information, one can take legal action at the courts, the Solicitor General pointed out.
Accordingly, the Additional Solicitor general requested the Court of Appeal to dismiss the relevant petition.
The Court determined that there has been no police report on such afflictions relevant to the petition and the petitionhas been filed with the purpose of humiliating the President.
Accordingly, the petition was dismissed without being taken up for hearing and the petitioner was ordered to cover government legal costs.
Courtesy: Colombo Page
