Budgeted funds cannot be withheld. The Supreme Court issued an interim order prohibiting the finance secretary and attorney general from withholding any money designated by the 2023 budget for the local government election in 2023.
This decision was reached after the case brought by the party’s general secretary, Ranjith Maddumabandara, was heard on behalf of SJB by judges Padman Surasena, Janak de Silva, and Priyantha Fernando.