Former Moneragala UNP provincial councillor Tissa Kuttiarachchi yesterday filed a fundamental rights violation petition in the Supreme Court asking it to nullify the UNP nomination list for the Moneragala district as his name had been omitted from it.

He said his name had been erased and another name inserted instead. In his petition filed through Paul Ratnayake Associates, he cited the Elections Commissioner, UNP candidates Madduma Bandara and Senaka Ratnayake among others as respondents. He said Mr. Ratnayake’s name had been inserted instead of his. Mr. Ratnayake was neither nominated by the UNP nor had he signed the nomination papers in the presence of the UNP General Secretary. Mr. Kuttiarachchi said that he applied to the UNP as a prospective candidate when the party called for applications for the selection of candidates for the April 8 elections. He said Mr. Bandara strongly opposed his name being included in the nomination list as he the petitioner would obtain more preferential votes.

Mr. Kuttiarachchi is asking Court to direct the Elections Commissioner and the Returning Officer to postpone the elections in the Moneragala district until the final determination of this FR application. He is also asking the Court to direct the Elections Commissioner and Returning Officer to amend UNP nomination list by removing the name of Mr. Ratnayake and replacing it with his. Supreme Court moved against alteration of UNF’s nomination list ‘Deleted’ Moneragala UNF candidate wants his name inserted or nomination list rejected Chaminda Janaka Tissakatharachchi, has complained to the Supreme Court that his name had been fraudulently removed from the UNP nomination list for Moneragala to contest the General Election of April 8, 2010 and replaced by the name of Chaminda Senaka Ratnayake. He had alleged that this fraudulent replacement was arbitrary and a violation of the right to franchise of the petitioner and voters of the Moneragala District. He had requested the Court to direct the Commissioner of Election, to replace the name of Ratnayake in the UNP Nomination List of Moneragala or else to order the Commissioner to reject the UNP nomination list for Moneragala.

In the alternative the petitioner had requested the Court to direct the Commissioner to investigate the complaint made by the petitioner in respect of the fraud and to take necessary action against the suspects. The first respondent is the Commissioner of Election, Dayananda Dissanayake.