Court Lifts Election Ban on 18 Local Bodies Including CMC

The Court of Appeal has ordered the lifting of the injunction previously issued, which had suspended election-related activities in the Colombo Municipal Council and 18 other local government institutions.

On March 6, the Court of Appeal issued an interim injunction after considering writ petitions filed by various political parties and independent groups challenging the rejection of their nomination papers. This order prevented the conduct of local government elections for 18 local bodies, including the Colombo Municipal Council.

However, today (11) a bench of Court of Appeal judges comprising Acting Chairman of the Appeals Division, Justice Mohammed Laffar Tahir, and Justice Priyantha Fernando lifted the injunction, following the consideration of a motion submitted by the Attorney General.

The court further directed that the previously rejected nomination papers for the aforementioned local government institutions be re-accepted.