The Supreme Court today (June 07) sentenced former MP Ranjan Ramanayake to two-years rigorous imprisonment suspended for five years, after he pleaded guilty to the second contempt of court charge against him.

The order was delivered by a three-judge bench comprising Justices Buwaneka Aluvihare, L.T.B. Dehideniya and Gamini Amarasekera.

The Registrar of Courts had filed the complaint alleging that Ranjan Ramanayake’s remarks on a television program regarding the five-judge bench hearing the fundamental rights petitions challenging the decision of then President Maithripala Sirisena to dissolve Parliament in 2018 was in contempt of court.

Ranjan Ramanayake had initially pleaded not guilty to these charges in the Supreme Court, however when the case was taken up in March, the former deputy minister pleaded guilty to the charges.

Accordingly, the lawyers representing him had requested the court to impose a lenient sentence on him.

Announcing the verdict today (07), the three-judge bench headed by Justice Buwaneka Aluvihare sentenced Ramanayake to two years rigorous imprisonment suspended for five years.

Accordingly, if convicted of another offense within five years from today, this two-year imprisonment will be effective, explained the three-judge bench to Ranjan Ramanayake in open court.

The judge further explained to Ramanayake that if he is not found guilty of any other offense within a period of five years from today, he will not be punished under the Criminal Procedure Code.