Dissolution Of House By Sirisena Illegal: SC

Proclamation is null and void, says seven-member Bench

In a landmark case of the Sri Lankan judiciary ruling on the executive, the Supreme Court said on Thursday that President Maithripala Sirisena's move last month, dissolving Parliament and calling for snap polls, was illegal.

The seven-member Bench unanimously deemed Mr. Sirisena's action unconstitutional. Chief Justice Nalin Perera told a packed courtroom that the President's November 9 proclamation —sacking Parliament — was null and void and had no effect in law.

Biggest crisis

The judgment is a major blow to Mr. Sirisena, whose sudden decision on October 26 — dismissing the incumbent Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and appointing the former President Mahinda Rajapaksa in his place — sparked, arguably, the country's biggest political crisis since the civil war ended nearly a decade ago.

The bitter power struggle for seven weeks now has left the island without a legitimate government or Cabinet, while the economy and its key tourism sector have taken a severe beating.