Appeal Court to hear petition against CFA

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 March 2006, 10:58 GMT]
The Sri Lankan Court of Appeal fixed the inquiry for 29 March into the petition filed by the Sinhala nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and all monks' party Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) seeking the court to nullify the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) entered into between the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The JVP and JHU argue that the CFA is against the Constitution of Sri Lanka and illegal. The GoSL and the LTTE renewed their commitment to respect and uphold the Ceasefire Agreement of February 2002 in Geneva last week.

When the petitions came up for inquiry Monday before the Sri Lankan Court of Appeal, the petitioners JVP and JHU made an application to court to make the Cabinet of President Mahinda Rajapakse as one of the respondents and the Court of Appeal agreed to the request.

The other respondent is Mr.Velupillai Pirapaharan leader of the LTTE, legal sources said.

The Court Monday instructed the Registrar to send all documents and summons of the respondent, LTTE leader to the address of the LTTE Peace Secretariat which is located in LTTE administered Killinochchi, legal sources said.

All summons and related documents for the second respondent, LTTE leader Mr.Pirapaharan until now had been sent to the address of former Prime Minister Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe who was the first respondent cited in the original petition.

The JVP and JHU in their original petitions cited the Cabinet of the then Prime Minister Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe as one of the respondents, with the LTTE leader.

When the United National Front (UNF) government was dismissed and the Cabinet of Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge came to power the petitioners amended their petitions citing the Cabinet of the then SL President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunga.