SLIC: Companies seek more time for objections

Business magnate Harry Jayawardene and his companies requested further time to file objections when the fundamental rights application filed by politician Vasudeva Nanayakkara came up for hearing on September 3.

The Supreme Court comprising Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva and Justices J. Amaratunga and S. Marsoof, directed that objections be filed on or before November 5 and counter affidavits on or before November 26 and re-fixed the hearing for December 5. Nanayakkara had originally instituted this action on May 29 this year and the Supreme Court in June granted Leave to Proceed.

The petitioner who is the opposition leader in the Colombo Municipality cited 37 respondents in his petition including former Finance Minister K.N. Choksy, former Minister of Economic Reform Milinda Moragoda, Treasury Secretary and former Chairman of the Public Enterprises Reform Commission P.B. Jayasundera and former Minister of Public Enterprise Reform Sripathy Sooriyarachchi amongst a slew of other high profile names. Nanayakkara filed the petition based on the highly controversial nature of the privatization of Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation. (NG)