Judicial power remains within Parliament - President

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe stated that judicial power remains within Parliament and reiterated his longstanding view that the judiciary should not interfere with the executive powers of Parliament.

The President made these remarks while participating in the “Urumaya” Freehold Land Deeds program in Mahiyanganaya.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe highlighted the history of the “Urumaya” program, which was initiated in 2002 and 2003 but was subsequently halted due to a court decision. 

He emphasized that if the program had been implemented 20 years ago, the people of this country could have been granted free land rights earlier.

"If it was possible to allocate government land to the Shangri-La Hotel under the Land Ordinance, why can’t I, as the President, grant land rights to 2 million people? Some have warned that this matter will go to court, but it’s important to remember that the authority lies not with the court but with Parliament. I have always maintained that the judiciary should not interfere with the executive power of Parliament," said the President.

During the event, 662 individuals from the Badulla district were awarded freehold land deeds, with President Wickremesinghe symbolically presenting some of the deeds.

Simultaneously, President Wickremesinghe provided sports equipment to four schools in the Badulla district and inaugurated the newly constructed main auditorium of the Mahiyangana Public Stadium.