Signs of Chaminda being reinstated and the Parliament Deputy Secretary-General issue being settled.

The Attorney General has informed the Court of Appeal that there is a possibility of settling the legal issue related to the suspension from work of Mr. Chaminda Kumara Kularatne, who serves as the Deputy Secretary General and Chief of Staff of Parliament. Deputy Solicitor General Chaya Sri Namuni, who appeared in court on behalf of the respondents, stated yesterday (19) that there is room for this agreement between the petitioner and the respondents.

The case was called before a two-member bench of the Court of Appeal, comprising President Justice Rohantha Abeysooriya and Justice Priyantha Fernando. There, the writ petition filed by Attorney-at-Law Chaminda Kumara Kularatne, claiming that the Parliamentary Advisory Committee had illegally filed a charge sheet against him and suspended him from work, was considered. Speaker Jagath Wickramarathne and members of the Parliamentary Advisory Committee, among others, have been named as respondents in this petition.

The petitioner, a father of three and a Supreme Court lawyer with a law degree from the University of Colombo, has stated in his petition that the period during which he served as the Secretary to the Chief Government Whip was legally included for the calculation of his pension. However, regarding that process related to the pension calculation for the position of Deputy Secretary General, which is a pensionable post, the Parliamentary Advisory Committee intervened and conducted a preliminary investigation through a retired Additional Secretary on February 02 last year. He further states in his petition that based on the report submitted after that investigation, steps were taken to suspend his service on January 22, 2026.

Mr. Chaminda Kumara Kularatne states that the Parliamentary Advisory Committee has no legal provision to suspend his service and emphasizes that only the Secretary General of Parliament is the authority to act on disciplinary matters of parliamentary officials. Accordingly, the petitioner has requested the court to issue a writ order invalidating the letter issued suspending his service, as it is contrary to the law, to take up the petition for hearing, and to issue notices to the respondents and grant an interim injunction preventing the implementation of the suspension letter until the case concludes.

Deputy Solicitor General Chaya Sri Namuni, who made submissions in court, requested time to obtain necessary instructions regarding the possibility of settling this issue. President's Counsel Sanjeeva Jayawardena, appearing for the petitioner, also expressed his agreement to the request. Accordingly, the bench, having considered the facts, ordered both parties to file limited objections and directed that the petition be called again on the 27th for further consideration of the settlement.