At a hearing today (30), President’s counsel Gamini Marapana, lawyer for Rajapaksa, requested that the petition be dismissed.

Chairman of the CA Preethi Padman Surasena and justice Arjuna Obeysekara took up the petition filed by 122 MPs of the UNP, TNA, JVP, SLMC and the ACPC.

It cites 49 respondents, including Rajapaksa.

President’s counsel E. Kanagiswaran, lawyer for the petitioners, said two no-confidence motions against Rajapaksa and his cabinet had been passed by majority vote, and submitted the relevant Hansard reports to the court.

He said Rajapaksa and the other respondents had no legitimate right to hold office.

No-confidence motions not passed properly - lawyer for Mahinda RajapaksaRespondents’ lawyer Marapana said the said no-confidence motions had not been passed properly.

He said no such motions could be adopted at a time when parliament had been dissolved.

PC Kanagiswaran said the court had no jurisdiction to decide if the said motions had been passed properly or not.Court has no jurisdiction to decide if the said motions had been passed properly not - petitioners’ lawyer

Marapana requested that the petitions be deferred until such time the Supreme Court delivers its ruling on petitions that challenge the dissolution of parliament.

The SC has issued an order staying the dissolution of parliament.