Petition Seeking to Invalidate LG Delimitation Gazette Notification Filed

A petition has been filed in the Court of Appeal by six citizens who have voting rights, seeking to invalidate the Gazette notification issued on the Demarcation of wards of Local Authorities. Petitioners are residents of Colombo, Kandy, Hali-Ela, Matara and Embilipitiya.

The petitioners claim in their petition that the gazette notification was issued by the subject minister disregarding the recommendations of the sub-committee appointed to carry out the demarcation of local government bodies. They point out that such actions are unlawful and that the minister has no authority to do so. Therefore they request the court to issue an order invalidating the said gazette notification.

It is relevant to mention that the Ministry of Local Government and Provincial Councils appointed a five-member committee on 1st December 2015 to look into discrepancies regarding demarcation of boundaries and shortcomings and report. The National Delimitation Commission (NDC) has submitted its report.It was entrusted to carryout demarcation activities after reviewing the appeals made with regards to the demarcation of 206 out of 336 local government areas. The report by the Delimitation Committee was handed over to Local Government and Provincial Councils Minister Faiszer Mustapha in January this year while the relevant gazette notification was issued the following month.

Minister of Local Government and Provincial Councils Faiszer Mustapha and the Secretary to the ministry H.T. Kamal Pathmasiri have been named as respondents in the application. The petition is to be taken up for consideration today (16).