Batticaloa results challenged
A petition has been filed in the Court of Appeal challenging the results of the Batticaloa District in the recently concluded Provincial Council election. The petition has been filed by four petitioners, namely, Rajanathan Prabakaran, Sivalingam Parameswaranathnan, Nawanesaraja Niranjan and Kanapathipillai Parakalathan who contested in the Batticaloa District under the Plough symbol of the Eelavar Democratic Front, through Attorney-at-Law Manju Sri Chandrasena, requesting a writ of certiorari quashing the final results of the Batticaloa District in the Provincial Council elections.
The 19 respondents cited inter alia are Commissioner of Elections Mahinda Deshapriya, Returning Officer Batticaloa, P.S.M. Charles, Assistant Commissioner Batticoloa, Asanka Ratnayake, UPFASecretary , A.D. Susil Premajayantha, Secretary Illankai Thamil Arasu Katchi, Mawai S. Senadhiraja, UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake, and the Attorney General.
The petition also seeks a writ of mandamus directing, to recount the votes polled at the Batticaloa District, to direct the second respondent to produce the final results of each counting station in the Batticoloa District, to issue a writ of prohibition on the first respondent preventing him from publishing in the gazette the names of the elected and or annul or invalidate the gazette published with the names of the elected members, to issue an interim order restraining the 1, 2, and 3 respondents from destroying and or dislocating the ballot papers and the documents related to the elections and grant costs and other relief the court deems fit.
