COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court opened the way for potential impeachment proceedings against the president on Thursday, ruling that he broke the law by dissolving parliament last month.

The verdict is a major blow to Maithripala Sirisena, seven weeks into a political crisis in the Indian Ocean island nation that has sparked alarm abroad and concern over its finances.

The seven-judge bench unanimously agreed that Sirisena violated the constitution when he dissolved parliament last month and called a snap election nearly two years ahead of schedule.

“I make order that the November 9 Gazette (decree) sacking parliament ... has no force or effect in law and declare its operation illegal,” Chief Justice Nalin Perera said as he delivered the landmark judgement to a packed courtroom.

Sacked prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s party had said it would await the outcome of Thursday’s decision before deciding whether to open impeachment proceedings.

Sirisena triggered the unprecedented political crisis on Oct 26 when he fired Wickremesinghe and appointed contentious former strongman Mahinda Rajapakse in his place.

There was no immediate comment from either Sirisena or Rajapakse. However, Rajapakse’s legislator son, Namal, told reporters outside the court house that they did not agree with the verdict.

Wickremesinghe’s United National Party (UNP) welcomed the verdict as a victory for democracy. “As a country we have to be joyful that we have an independent judiciary that acted as a check on an errant executive,” UNP deputy leader Sajith Premadasa said.

Sirisena dissolved parliament on Nov 9 when Rajapakse, the man he appointed as prime minister, was unable to prove a majority in the 225-member assembly.

Published in Dawn, December 14th, 2018