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‘Local Authorities Bill invalid’
The Local Authorities (Special Provisions) Bill, challenged before the Supreme Court by an attorney at law and another was held to be, as a whole inconsistent, with the Constitution.

The Bench comprising Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva, and Justices Shirani Bandaranayake and J.A.N. de Silva making a determination in terms of Article 123 of the Constitution held that the provisions of the bill are inconsistent with Article 12(1) of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to equality.

Court further stated that the bill could be validly passed only by a special majority that is a two-thirds majority of the whole number of members in Parliament. Court was of the view that the bill, which has the effect of interrupting and annulling an electoral process that is in motion according to the applicable law, affects only an identified class of persons, namely the candidates who have submitted valid nominations and who have legitimate expectation of being elected.

On the other hand the bill indirectly favours persons who have not submitted nominations when the opportunity was presented to them in accordance with the law and offers to them a fresh opportunity to enter the contest. This favourable treatment is contrary to Article 12(1) of the Constitution, which states all persons are equal before the law and are entitled to equal protection of the law.

K. Thiranagama with M.J.A. Hassan and Ms. H. Ratnayake instructed by Piyasena Dissanayake appeared for attorney-at -law Sarath Jayasinghe. S.S. Sahabandu with Hemantha Sittuge and Keerthi Sigera for Champani Padmasekera. Additional Solicitor General Saleem Marsoof, PC, with Senior State Counsel Shavindra Fernando and State Counsel N. Wigneswaran for the Attorney General.

Mahinda W. under fire
The Sri Lanka Administrative Service Association has called on President Chandrika Kumaratunga to order an inquiry into an incident involving Minister Mahinda Wijesekera and his Secretary.

The minister is alleged to have chided the Ministry Secretary using abusive language in the presence of several officials over a tender dispute.

SLASA President S Ranugge told The Sunday Times the minister's alleged conduct was a serious threat to senior officers who had been appointed by the President. The SLASA chief also called for the early setting up of the independent Public Service Commission under the 17th Amendment to protect the dignity of the SLAS officers.

Meanwhile, the Organisation of Professional Association has called on the President and the Prime Minister to take disciplinary action against Minister Wijesekera. The OPA said it was perturbed over the continued impertinence of the elected representatives thwarting the discharge of duties by public officers, including the police.

Tug-of-war over LTTE propaganda items
By Chandani Kirinde
Indecision on whether or not to release a consignment of LTTE propaganda material continued up to Friday after strong objections from Customs officials to the request by both Defence Secretary Austin Fernando and Finance Ministry Secretary Charitha Ratwatte asking the consignment be released.

An LTTE member who called over at the Customs ten days ago armed with a letter from the Defence Secretary to the effect that the items imported were not banned goods had been turned away by Customs officials.

The Customs had objected to the release of the items on the grounds that importing material that advocate a separation of the country is unconstitutional and tantamount to treason.

The Customs had then written to the Finance Ministry with a list of the items found in the 40-foot container asking what should be done with them.

The Finance Ministry Secretary replied saying that all items except the sticker with the map of a part of northern and eastern Sri Lanka, which the LTTE considers its traditional homeland be released, The Sunday Times reliably learns.

However since the letter was sent, Mr.Ratwatte had made a verbal request that all items be withheld from release. Hence the tussle is set to continue in the coming week as well.

Included in the consignment were pro-LTTE magazines, Tiger head symbols, stickers, photos of LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran and compact discs.

Customs made the detection after keeping the consignment under surveillance for several weeks. The items were imported after declaring them as stationery and were detained on the grounds that a false declaration was made. It had been imported in the name of I. Jayanandan of Vavuniya.

Police bust child employment racket
A foreign employment racket where children were found employment abroad by submitting forged documents indicating that they are adults has been busted by the Women's and Children's Police Desk, a police source said.

A police team from Colombo recently raided a training centre in Thihariya in the Gampaha district on a complaint made by the mother of a 13-year-old girl from Akkaraipattu that she had been prevented from seeing her daughter.

"Forty females including seven children who said they were under 18 were found at the training centre. The matter has been referred to the CID for further investigation," Inspector Soma Kumarasinghe, who conducted the raid under the direction of SSP Sarath Jayasundara, told The Sunday Times.

The Muslim job seekers were from Trincomalee, Kinniya, Ampara, Mawanella and Panadura. Their families had allegedly been persuaded by sub-agents to accept the offers of foreign employment by giving the false impression that Saudi Arabia was offering employment as housemaids to even those under 18 years of age.

However, when they were taken for a 12-day training programme at Thihariya, their birth certificates and identity cards had been altered to obtain passports indicating that they were over 18 years of age, police said.

The operators of the training centre were produced before a magistrate. Some were released while the others have been detained pending completion of investigations.

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