• Mujibur tippled to fill vacancy 

The Supreme Court (SC) yesterday (8) declared that State Minister of Tourism Diana Gamage is not legally qualified to hold a Parliamentary seat.

The Court had concluded the hearing of an appeal filed challenging the Court of Appeal’s (CA) dismissal of a petition against Gamage’s Parliamentary Membership. Upon concluding the proceedings on 13 February, the three-Judge bench decided to defer its verdict indefinitely. Accordingly, delivering its verdict yesterday, the Court decided that Gamage is not eligible to hold the position of a Parliamentarian.

Activist Oshala Herath had put forward the appeal two weeks after the petition he had filed against Gamage’s MP seat and citizenship was dismissed by the CA. Naming Gamage and several others as the respondents of his appeal, Herath said that he had previously filed a petition alleging that Gamage is unqualified to hold the position of a Parliamentarian in Sri Lanka, as she also holds dual citizenship.

Former MP Mujibur Rahman of the main Parliamentary Opposition, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), is tipped to fill the vacant MP seat as the SC declared that Gamage is not legally qualified to hold an MP seat. Speaking during yesterday’s Parliamentary session, the SJB and Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa announced that this appointment will be communicated to the Election Commission. In January 2023, Rahman decided to step down as an MP in order to vie for the post of the Mayor of Colombo in the postponed 2023 Local Government elections.