PM has seven days to respond to lawsuit

THE Office of the Prime Minister was yesterday given seven days by a High Court judge to file an affidavit in response to a lawsuit by Devant Maharaj, an executive of the country’s largest Hindu organisation, the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha (SDMS), filed against the PM for allegedly not recommending Maharaj to the post of acting Deputy Director of the National Lotteries’ Control Board (NLCB). The Statutory Authorities Services Commission (SASC) recommended Maharaj for the position by letter dated March 25, 2003. However, the Prime Minister, in a letter to SASC’s chairman Louis Byran, stated: “Dear Mr Byran, I shall like to inform you that I am unable to agree to the acting appointment of Mr Devant Maharaj, marketing and public relations officer, deputy director of the National Lotteries Control Board.”

Last month, Madame Justice Amrika Tewarie-Reddy, granted Maharaj leave to apply for judicial review of the NLCB’s decision not to appoint him despite the SASC’s recommendation. The judge ordered the filed documents served on the Office of the Prime Minister. When the matter came up for hearing yesterday before Madame Justice Mira Dean-Armorer in the Second Civil Court, San Fernando, attorney Alexi Mckell announced he was representing Prime Minister Patrick Manning. Attorneys Dr Fenton Ramsahoye QC and Anand Ramlogan, instructed by Naresh Lalbeharry, appeared for Maharaj.

Representing the NLCB’s chairman Louis Lee Sing were Douglas Mendes and Michael Quamina, instructed by Alexander Jeremie and Company. The SASC was represented by Elton Prescott of M and G Daly and Partners, instructed by Carlene Seenath. Seenath indicated to Dean-Armorer that the SASC was of the view that the matter was one of urgent importance and requested that the court dealt with it expeditiously. Despite this, the judge said she was unable to accommodate the matter on her list owing to previous fixtures of cases on her list. Dean-Armorer granted the PM seven days to file affidavits in reply to the lawsuit and seven days for Maharaj’s attorneys to respond. The judge transferred the case to the next available Cause List.