Court extends enjoining order on TULF

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 February 2004, 08:51 GMT]
The Colombo district court Wednesday extended the enjoining order preventing the Secretary General and Senior Vice President of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) from convening party meetings without the written permission of TULF President Anandasangaree to 16 March 2004. The extension of the enjoining order would stymie plans by the Tamil National Alliance to contest elections to Sri Lanka’s Parliament on the TULF’s ‘rising sun’ symbol, Tamil legal sources said.

As a consequence of the courts extending the enjoining order, the Secretary General of the TULF cannot approve TNA nomination lists without convening a meeting of the party chaired by Mr. Anandasangaree.

“But nominations lists have to be submitted from 17-24 February. The enjoining order has been extended until 16 March. The courts knew full well that extending the order to March would scuttle TNA’s plans to contest under the TULF banner. The extension of the order looks like a politically motivated decision”, a legal source commented.

Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham, MP, Senior Vice President of the TULF told TamilNet that he and Mr. Sampanthan, Secretary General of the party, will meet lawyers in the evening to consult about the development.

“We hope to resolve the matter positively”, Mr. Pararajasingham said.

The TULF held its executive committee meeting chaired by Mr. Anandasangaree on 1 February following the court’s enjoining order. It was decided there to meet again on 22 February.