Court orders to reaccept 35 rejected nominations

The order was issued this morning by a bench comprising Acting President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Mohamed Lafar Tahir, and Justice Priyantha Fernando. The decision follows the hearing of multiple petitions filed by political parties and independent groups challenging the rejection of their nominations.

The Court emphasized that the technical grounds for rejection—primarily involving birth certificate certification by Justices of the Peace and constitutional oath declarations—were not sufficient to invalidate the submissions.

Returning Officers have been instructed to reaccept the affected nomination papers today, April 10.

This ruling marks a significant development in the lead-up to the upcoming elections, offering renewed opportunity for several candidates previously excluded from the race.