The Civil High Court has denied the appeal request from former Social Democratic Liberal Party MP Salote Radrodro. The case was reviewed by High Court Judge Justice Deepthi Amarantunga earlier this month.
Justice Amarantunga indicated that the applicant had been convicted based on the evidence presented during the trial. He noted that claims of unfair trial arise from the transfer of the case from the Magistrate’s Court to a division of the High Court. The judge expressed that these claims could be sufficiently addressed by the Court of Appeal, stating that constitutional redress is not suitable for such matters, emphasizing the importance of efficiency, consistency, and fairness.
He described allowing the appeal as an abuse of process given the reasons provided.
In summary, this case involved a request for leave to appeal against a previous decision to strike out the action that sought Constitutional Redress for alleged process abuse. The applicant faced charges in the Magistrates Court, which were transferred to a different division of the High Court. Radrodro contested this transfer, but her challenge was unsuccessful in the previous court.
The arguments concerning the right to a fair trial due to the transfer of her case were framed as grounds for appeal to the Court of Appeal. The High Court, however, concluded by refusing Radrodro’s Leave to Appeal without any order for costs.