A representative motion has been put forward at the Kurunegala Municipal Council to recover Rs. 3.75 million from Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation, Namal Karunaratne. The motion was presented by Sumedha Arunashantha, the Opposition Leader of the Kurunegala Municipal Council, representing the Samagi Jana Balawegaya.
According to Arunashantha’s proposal, this sum should be recovered to cover the Municipal Council’s expenses incurred in a lawsuit filed with narrow political objectives, based on false information spread about the demolition of the Buwanekabahu Royal Assembly Hall. Arunashantha further stated that he presented this motion as a private proposal at the monthly meeting.
Arunashantha pointed out that the current Deputy Minister, to gain political advantage, had filed a case in the Court of Appeal at that time, seeking a Mandamus Writ Order against the Kurunegala Municipal Council, its Mayor, and other respondents. It is his view that the money unnecessarily spent by the Kurunegala Municipal Council to appear in that case should be recovered from the Deputy Minister.
The Financial Standing Committee had recommended the payment of Rs. 24 million as legal fees for the appeal case filed by Namal Karunaratne, and the council legally bore this amount. Subsequently, the case filed by Namal Karunaratne was withdrawn due to a motion presented to the Magistrate’s Court with strong evidence proving that the relevant site had no archaeological value. In light of this situation, the motion emphasizes that the public funds unnecessarily spent by the Kurunegala Municipal Council due to a false lawsuit should be recovered from Deputy Minister Namal Karunaratne.
