Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously ruled that the dissolution of Parliament by Maithripala Sirisena was “illegal”, in a body blow to the embattled President whose controversial decisions plunged the nation into an unprecedented political crisis.
A apex court bench said that the President cannot dissolve Parliament till it completes its four-and-half year term, triggering demand for the impeachment of Sirisena as well as ex-strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Sirisena on October 26 had sacked the incumbent PM, Ranil Wickremesinghe, and install ex-President Mahinda Rajapaksa in his place. Later Sirisena sacked Parliament when it appeared that Rajapaksa would not be able to prove majority.
However, on Wednesday, Wickremesinghe proved his majority in Parliament, with 117 out of 225 lawmakers in Parliament voting to pass a confidence motion in his leadership.
