Fonseka files petition in SC challenging Rajapaksa's victory

Sri Lanka's detained former army chief Sarath Fonseka today filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging president Mahinda Rajapaksa's re-election to the top post in the January 26 polls in which the General was defeated as the joint opposition candidate.

The petition sought a determination from the Supreme Court that the election of Mahinda Rajapaksa at the recent presidential election in Sri Lanka was void.

In the petition, filed through his lawyers, Fonseka, who is now under detention, challenged the outcome of the elections and accused Rajapaksa, elections commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake and 20 others of rigging the vote.

JVP leader Somawansa Amarasinghe, Anura Kumara Dissanayaka, Sunil Handunnetti, Ravi Karunanayaka and John
Ameratunge accompanied Fonseka's lawyers to the court.

Fonseka, who lost the vote, alleged that he was robbed of victory because of rigging, electoral malpractice and undue influence of the government on the electorate. His petition contended that state media was also misused and malpractices had taken place at polling booths and counting centres. 

Meanwhile, the whereabouts of Fonseka's son-in-law Danuna Tillakaratne was not known so far, the Daily Mirror Online quoted a police official as saying.    

When asked if Tillakaratne could have left the country, the official said he has not received any information to that effect and that the criminal investigations department is probing his whereabouts to arrest him, the online said. A court here has issued a warrant for his arrest.