Sacked SLMC parliamentarians file petition in SC

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 29 June 2004, 15:04 GMT]
Three dissident Sri Lanka Muslim Congress parliamentarians Messrs Hussain Baila, Najeeb Abdul Majeed and Risard Badiudin Tuesday filed a petition in the Sri Lanka's Supreme Court (SC) against their dismissal from the party and seeking the court to declare that their removal from the party is illegal, legal sources said.

Three former parliamentarians have cited nine persons as respondents including Mr.Rauff Hakim, leader of the SLMC and Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe, leader of the UNP, legal sources said

Mr. Hussain Baila was nominated SLMC National List parliamentarian through the list of the main opposition United National Party (UNP). Mr. Najeeb Abdul Majeed was elected from the Trincomalee electoral district and Mr. Risard Badiudin from the Vanni electoral district.

All three were suspended and later removed from the party when they worked against the leadership of the SLMC and disobeyed party discipline. Later they appealed to the high command of the SLMC to rejoin the party. But their appeals were rejected by the SLMC politburo, which said that they should tender an open apology to consider their readmission, sources said.