Colombo: Sri Lanka's Supreme Court on Tuesday suspended the dissolution of Parliament by President Maithripala Sirisena, granting interim relief. A three judge bench on Monday and Tuesday heard Fundamental Rights petitions filed by several parties challenging the President's dissolution of Parliament.

The political turmoil escalated in the island nation when Sirisena dissolved Parliament on Friday and called for a snap parliamentary election on January 5, over two weeks after sacking Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and replacing him with former strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The parties which filed petitions on Monday included the United National Party led by the sacked Wickremesinghe, the main opposition Tamil National Alliance, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, the Tamil Progressive Alliance and the All Ceylon Makkal Congress.