Setback for President Sirisena as Lankan Supreme Court stays his order

New Delhi: The Sri Lankan Supreme Court on Tuesday overturned President Maithripala Sirisena’s controversial decision to dissolve Parliament, halting preparations for snap polls on January 5 and further deepening the political crisis in the island nation.

A three-member SC bench, including country’s Chief Justice Nalin Perera, delivered its verdict after two days of deliberations on as many as 13 petitions against and five for Sirisena’s November 9 decision to dissolve Parliament.

The SC decision is the latest dramatic twist in the crisis that has gripped Sri Lanka since Sirisena sacked PM Ranil Wickremesinghe on October 26 and replaced him with former strongman president Mahinda Rajapaksa. India is deeply concerned about growing instability in its neighbourhood.

After Sirisena realised that Rajapaksa will fail to garner majority despite Chinese-backed horse-trading, Sirisena dissolved Parliament and announced parliamentary polls on January 5.

Following the SC’s decision, Sirisena will have to appoint a prime minister and the national elections may not happen soon. Sri Lankan Parliament Speaker Karu Jayasuriya, a seasoned politician, is well-placed to be next PM of the country, sources indicated to ET.

On Sunday, Jayasuriya urged civil servants to defy Sirisena’s “illegal orders”.

“I have watched over the last two weeks as the executive branch has seized the rights and usurped the powers of members of Parliament who were elected to represent the people. We must act with patriotism and independence to safeguard the future of democracy in our country,” he said.

The lingering crisis has provided China and Pakistan an opportunity to meddle in the internal affairs of Lanka, sources said. “There is a total impasse in the island nation which is deepening by the day.

Sirisena’s decisions have opened up a Pandora’s Box,” said a source who did not wish to be identified.

Only China had recognised the appointment of Rajapaksa, who during his decade as the Lankan President relied heavily on Beijing for diplomatic and financial support as the West shunned him over his human rights record.

India, wary of his past and the renewed Chinese support to Rajapaksa, doesn’t want any government in Colombo to allow Chinese military installations. India also wants Colombo to safeguard the rights of minority Tamils and ensure timely implementation of Indiafunded projects.

Rajapaksa, who was hoping to be the PM either through horsetrading or January 5 elections, has received a temporary setback following the SC decision. Eyeing power after the dissolution of Parliament, Rajapaksa had even quit the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, cofounded by his father in 1951, and joined the Sri Lanka People’s Party (SLPP) founded by his supporters to beat the anti-incumbency factor. The SLPP was formed last year by Rajapaksa’s supporters to create a platform for his re-entry into politics.

Sacked PM Wickremesinghe’s UNP, the main opposition Tamil National Alliance and the leftist JVP, or People’s Liberation Front, were among the 10 groups that filed the petition in the SC, officials said.