LG polls gazette: AG to file motion for early hearing of petition
Posted on November 24th, 2017
by Saman Indrajith Courtesy The Island
Attorney General Jayantha Jayasuriya has agreed to submit a motion calling for the early hearing of the petition filed before the Court of Appeal against the gazette related to local government polls.
The AG’s agreement was announced at the special party leaders’ meeting yesterday evening at the Parliament complex. He would call for the hearing of the case on Nov 30, party sources said.
The AG told the party leaders that he would submit his motion on Monday (27).
The party leaders’ meeting was held with Speaker Karu Jayasuriya presiding at his office. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, came directly from the airport after returning from India, to attend the meeting. Chairman of the Elections Commission Mahinda Deshapriya also attended the meeting.
The party leaders submitted various proposals, according to sources.
There were two main proposals––one for expediting the judicial process and the other for submitting to Parliament a substantive motion to pass a law to rectify the delay caused by the error in the gazette.
The Chairman of the Elections Commission stated that elections should be held to 133 local government bodies which had not been affected by the gazette. He said would discuss the matter at the next meeting of the Elections Commission, according to sources.