Rajiva out of Liberal Party [September 20 2015]

Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha who had filed a case (DSP/108/2015) against the Liberal Party and its party officials at the District Court of Colombo on August 4, 2015 withdrew the case on September 17, 2015 before Colombo District Judge, T.D.Gunasekara.

Counsel for the Liberal Party did not move for cost.

Earlier, Wijesinha obtained an enjoining order and injunction notices against Swarna Amaratunga (President), Kamal Nissanka (Secretary General), Rathnasiri Kottege (Treasurer), Ananda Stephen(Deputy Secretary General), Roshan Amaraarachchi (Vice President) and Newton Pieris and the Liberal Party.

President’s Counsel, Nigel Hatch instructed by Simon and Associates appeared for the plaintiff Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha and Senior Counsel, Aravinda Athurupana with Daham Binduhewa instructed by Samadi Seneviratne, appeared for the Liberal Party.

Commenting on the withdrawal of the case, Kamal Nissanka, Secretary General of the Liberal Party said, as the case is withdrawn, his letter dated July 15, 2015 sent to Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha, indicating that he had ceased to have been a member of the party as he had included his name in the United People’s Freedom Alliance( UPFA) National List is now valid in law but indicated that the final decision rested with the National Committee of the Liberal Party.

In a statement, party General Secretary, Kamal Nissanka stated that only a few members of the original national list of the UPFA were elected by the present hierarchy of the UPFA/SLFP to be Members of Parliament and candidates of other parties were totally neglected and some aggrieved candidates have filed cases in the apex court seeking redress.

The Liberal Party has consistently requested Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha to resign from the controversial National List as it does not have a duly signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the UPFA. The Liberal Party also initially felt that the said National List was filled without proper endorsement of UPFA leader, President Maithripala Sirisena.