Wijeyadasa Rajapaksa's Legal Action Against Sarath Fonseka's Appointment as National List MP

Wijeyadasa Rajapaksa Launches "Undercover War" Against Sarath Fonseka's National List MP Appointment. The Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe has embarked on a legal mission to prevent former Army Commander Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka from being appointed to Parliament as a National List MP of the UNP.

Plans are afoot to challenge Sarath Fonseka's appointment in the Supreme Court on the grounds that he is still a member of the active military service. According to the highly placed political sources, A group of lawyers, backed by the Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapaksa, is expected to take legal action against Sarath Fonseka's Appointment early by next week. Although Sarath Fonseka is considered to be a member of active military service, his military rank does not bar him from contesting elections and engaging in political activities. Therefore, many legal experts opine that there is no legal impediment for Sarath Fonseka's appointment as a national list MP. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe was at loggerheads with the former Army Commander over the Avant Garde controversy. Sarath Fonseka, while addressing a press conference in Colombo, publicized some pictures to show that Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe's alleged association with the former Military officer Nissanka Senadhipathi, the Director of the Avant Garde Private Security firm. In response to launching a scathing attack on the former Army Commander and Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka, the Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapaksa made fun of his military rank 'Field Marshal', calling him a 'Vel Vidane' (which means an official under colonial administration, who looks after paddy fields in villages). According to the UNP sources, several UNP Ministers, including the Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapaksa, vehemently opposed the move to appoint Sarath Fonseka as a National list MP in the Parliament.