INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The Supreme Court on Tuesday (23 Jan.) concluded the hearing of the petition filed by Ministers Manusha Nanayakkara and Harin Fernando,
challenging the decision taken by Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) to oust them from the party and disqualify them of their parliamentary
seats.The hearing was concluded by a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court comprising of Justices Vijith Malalgoda, Achala Wengappuli and
Arjuna Obeysekera, when the case was taken up in court this morning, and it was declared that the verdict would be deferred,
Committee, and not one that has been devolved to the party leader.Thus, he highlighted that the decision taken by SJB leader Sajith
had decided to expel Fernando and Nanayakkara from the party.In May 2022, the SJB had suspended the party membership of the two
parliamentarians after they had accepted ministerial portfolios in the government while the party had vowed to take disciplinary action
against them.MPs Harin Fernando and Manusha Nanayakkara were sworn in as the Minister of Tourism - Lands and Minister of Labour - Foreign
Employment, respectively.Fernando and Nanayakkara had said they accepted ministerial portfolios in the government under President Gotabaya
Rajapaksa to do their utmost to find solutions to the ongoing economic crisis as a positive response was not received from many political
party leaders for a collective effort.They both subsequently resigned from their ministerial portfolios on July 9, 2022 along with the rest
of the Cabinet, after then President Gotabaya Rajapaksa informed the Speaker of Parliament that he intends to resign.However, they were both
reappointed to the same ministerial portfolios by incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe when he appointed a new Cabinet on July 22, 2022.
