SC rejects motions to reconsider sentence on Ranjan

The Supreme Court has rejected the motion filed by the lawyers of Ranjan Ramanayake to reconsider the sentence on his contempt of court case.

Through the motion, Ranjan Ramanayake has pointed out a person has the legal right to appeal against a sentence imposed, under the Convention on Civil and Political Rights.

Accordingly, Ranjan Ramanayake had moved the motion through his lawyers requesting that he be allowed to file an appeal and that the appeal be considered before a panel of five or more judges.

In January this year, the Supreme Court delivered a unanimous verdict to sentence former State Minister Ranjan Ramanayake to four years of rigorous imprisonment over a case of contempt of court filed over defamatory remarks made by him against the judiciary.

On August 21 in 2017, Ramanayake, speaking to the media following a meeting with then-Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe at the Temple Trees, claimed that the majority of judges in the country issue biased rulings and that they are corrupt.