The Colombo District Court today issued a restraining order preventing the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) from submitting their National List MP nominees without including the name of Nizam Kariapper of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC).
After considering a plaint filed by SLMC leader MP Rauff Hakeem, Colombo Additional District Judge Chamari Weerasuriya issued this order on the SJB’s General Secretary, Ranjith Madduma Bandara.
Petitioner Rauff Hakeem claims that the SLMC, led by him, supported SJB’s presidential candidate, Sajith Premadasa, during the 2024 Presidential Election.
He also stated that during the 2024 General Election, his party entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with SJB regarding the contesting of the General Election, on October 10.
Accordingly, the plaint states that the SJB agreed to appoint SLMC’s General Secretary Nizam Kariapper as a National List MP.
According to the MoU, it was mentioned that regardless of the number of National List seats the SJB secured, it is obligated to give one of those seats to the SLMC.
Rauff Hakeem further claims that the General Secretary of SJB has failed to submit names for the remaining four National List seats and requests the court to rule that this is in violation of the agreement made with his party
-Ada Derena