CA to hear petition against State Minister Nishantha
The notices were yesterday issued to MP Sanath Nishantha over two petitions seeking to file charges against him for a contemptuous statement made by him in relation to the judiciary and the judicial officers.
According to the notice, Nishantha was ordered to appear before the Court of Appeal on September 13 to make submissions over the petitions.
The petitions were taken up before the Court of Appeal Bench comprising Justices Nissanka Bandula Karunarathne and R. Gurusinghe.
The petition says that MP Sanath Nishatha had made a contemptuous statement scandalizing the Judiciary and the Judicial officers, in response to a question raised by a journalist at a press conference which was held at SLPP headquarters on August 23. The petitions were filed by attorneys Priyalal Chaminda Sirisena and Vijitha Kumara.
The petitions have cited MP Sanath Nishantha, the Bar Association of Sri Lanka and the Attorney General as respondents.
The petitions seek an order to issue summons to the respondent in the first instance and direct the Attorney General to draft charges against MP Sanath Nishantha on the offense of Contempt of the Court under Article 105(3) of the Constitution.
The petitions further seek an order preventing MP Nishantha from committing, making and or publishing further contemptuous statements scandalizing the judiciary until the conclusion of the case.
President’s Counsel Upul Jayasuriya and Saliya Peiris appeared for the Petitioners.