Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has raised concerns over the parliamentary privileges of Jaffna District MP Ramanathan Archchuna after an arrest warrant was issued against him for failing to appear in court while he was attending Parliament.
The Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court issued the arrest warrant on Friday (24) after Archchuna failed to appear for an ongoing legal proceeding related to the alleged obstruction of police duties.
However, Archchuna was reportedly attending the parliamentary sitting at the time.
Raising the matter in Parliament, Premadasa said participating in parliamentary proceedings was a privilege of an elected MP and argued that Archchuna should not be prevented from carrying out his duties as a representative of the people.
He said Archchuna had been elected by the people and represented their sovereignty within the legislature, adding that no institution should obstruct an elected representative from performing his parliamentary duties.
Premadasa said the situation amounted to a violation of Archchuna’s parliamentary privileges and argued that it also concerned the privileges of Parliament as a whole.
“MP Archchuna’s privileges have been violated. It is the Speaker’s responsibility to protect his rights,” Premadasa said, urging Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne to make an immediate decision on the matter.
The arrest warrant relates to Archchuna’s non-appearance before the Fort Magistrate’s Court in the ongoing case concerning the alleged obstruction of police duties. (Newswire)