Court denies injunction to postpone Batticaloa elections

[TamilNet, Monday, 21 January 2008, 15:47 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Supreme Court Monday refused to issue an interim injunction to postpone the elections to nine local authorities in the Batticaloa district. "The Supreme Court has no authority to issue such interim injunction," said the Chief Justice Mr. Sarath Silva after hearing the submissions in the two Fundamental Rights violation petitions filed by the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), legal sources said.

One FR petition was filed by the President of the Ilankai Thamil Arasu Kadchchi (ITAK), a constituent of the TNA and the other by a member residing in Batticaloa.

The Commissioner of Elections and the Returning Officer in Batticaloa had been cited as respondents. The petitioners requested the court to issue to holding local elections in Batticaloa districts as the ground situation is not conducive to hold free and fair elections.

However, the Chief Justice informed the petitioners to bring to the notice of the court or to relevant authorities any interruption in law and order situation in holding local elections in Batticaloa. The court is prepared to consider such applications, he added.

Hence the petitioners withdrew their petitions, legal sources said.