N W E Buwenaka Lalith Keembiela vs Geetha Samanmali Kumarasinghe – CA WRIT 362/2015-2020

In the case between N W E Buwenaka Lalith Keembiela and Geetha Samanmali Kumarasinghe, the Court of Appeal addressed whether the 1st Respondent was disqualified from holding office as a Member of Parliament due to dual citizenship under Article 91(1)(d)(xiii) of the Constitution. The court determined that the jurisdiction conferred by Article 140 enabled judicial review by way of writ of quo warranto, that such proceedings were distinct from election petitions, and that the applicants, as citizens and voters, possessed locus standi. Upon reviewing documentary evidence, it was found that the 1st Respondent held dual citizenship at the material time, and had not rebutted the presumption of disqualification. The Court ordered her removal from Parliament, directed costs payable to the Petition