Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that President Maithripala Sirisena’s sacking of parliament last month was illegal, clearing the way for potential impeachment proceedings against him.
The ruling is a major blow to Sirisena, seven weeks into a major political crisis in the Indian Ocean island nation that has sparked alarm abroad and concerns about its finances.
The seven-judge bench unanimously decided that Sirisena violated the constitution when he dissolved parliament last month and called a snap election nearly two years ahead of schedule.
Delivering the landmark judgement to a packed courtroom, Chief Justice Nalin Perera said the judges agreed that Sirisena violated the constitution when he dissolved the legislature prematurely.
Sacked prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s party has said it would await the outcome of Thursday’s decision before deciding whether to open impeachment proceedings.
