By Skandha Gunasekara The two petitioners who filed the recent court case regarding Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) presidential candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa will look to appeal the verdict following perusal of the reasons for the initial dismissal of the case. One of the petitioners, Chandragupta Thenuwara, told The Sunday Morning that they were awaiting the court’s reasons for dismissing the case on Friday (4). “We were not given reasons. The court only gave the verdict of dismissal. I’m of the opinion that once we receive the reasons, we will talk with our lawyers and appeal the verdict,” he said. He went on to say that he was confident that the petitioners did indeed have a valid case against Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his citizenship. “From how the written submissions and the argument went, it was clear that we had a strong case. It is puzzling why the case was dismissed. We shall wait and see what reasons the court provides for dismissing the case and then take the necessary steps,” he said, adding that there was still time to achieve a different legal outcome. He went on to say that if the evidence they have prove correct and Rajapaksa was allowed to contest, it would have serious implications for the country. “This would mean that any foreigner could come to Sri Lanka and contest our elections and cast votes as well,” he added.

Thenawura, Viyangoda threatened

The two petitioners who filed a case against Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) presidential candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa have received death threats and threatening phone calls. Artist Chandragupta Thenawura told The Sunday Morning that he received death threats over the phone soon after the court verdict was given. “I can confirm that I received two phone calls threatening my life straight after the court verdict was issued. Prior to that, I had to endure a lot of hate speech and profanities,” he said. He said that he had informed the Prime Minister of the situation. Thereafter, he said that the Inspector General of Police (IGP) had told him that he could request for security. “The IGP told me that if my life was in danger and I needed security, to inform him of the matter,” he said. Thenuwara said that he would take additional measures if the situation escalated. In addition, the second petitioner, Gamini Viyangoda, said that while he had not received direct death threats, his social media was full of hate speech and calls for his death. “On social media, I see various persons condemning. Some have said that I should be killed while others have said that I should be made to suffer. This is all because of the court case we filed,” he said. He went on to say that he had seen a popular singer also attacking him on social media.