The Secretary to the Ministry of Power and Energy was issued a notice to appear before the Supreme Court on November 19 to explain why his actions should not be considered contempt of court.

A two-judge bench of the Court of Appeal, comprising Justice Murdu Fernando and Justice Gamini Amarasekera, issued this order during the hearing of three Fundamental Rights petitions challenging the legality of business transactions involving LTL Holdings (Private) Limited, a leading engineering company in Sri Lanka.

It was alleged that the Ministry Secretary had sent a letter, dated 30/10/2024, directing LTL Holdings to conduct an audit while the case was still pending. The Supreme Court viewed this action as a potential violation of the sub judice principle and therefore contempt of court. As a result, the court issued notice requiring the Secretary to appear in person on November 19 at 9:30 a.m. to explain why his conduct should not be deemed contempt of court.