The Supreme Court ruling on the constitutionality of the President’s decision to dissolve parliament and call for general elections might be delivered on Monday, December 10 and not as previously scheduled on Thursday.
Authoritative sources said there is a possibility that the hearing of the case and submissions by the lawyers representing the petitioners and the intervenient-petitioners will continue till Friday and beyond, compelling the fuller Bench comprising seven Judges including the Chief Justice Nalin Perera to postpone the judgement till Monday.
Days after President Maithripala Sirisena took action to dissolve
Parliament and call for snap General Elections to settle an evolving political crisis, the main parties, the UNP and the JVP along with other interested groups went to courts against the move. Later the Court stayed the gazette notices on the dissolution and election until a ruling is given on December 6.
The hearing of the case is scheduled for December 4, 5 and 6.
If the Supreme Court upholds the President’s decision in their ruling, the parliamentary election which was originally scheduled for January 5, will be postponed. A spokesperson for the Election Commission said a new nomination period will have to be set by the Courts in consultation with the Election Commission in such a case. The original gazette issued by the President set the nomination period from November 19 - 26.