Sri Lanka's defeated presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka on Tuesday filed a petition in the supreme court in Colombo challenging the results of the January 26 polls and accused President Mahinda Rajapaksa of rigging the vote.
In the petition, filed through his lawyers, former army chief Fonseka, who is now under detention, challenged the outcome of the elections and charged Rajapaksa, Elections Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake and 20 others with rigging the vote and electoral malpractice.
The petition sought a determination from the apex court that the election of President Rajapaksa at the recent Presidential election was void.
Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna leader Somawansa Amarasinghe, Anura Kumara Dissanayaka, Sunil Handunnetti, Ravi Karunanayaka and John Ameratunge accompanied Fonseka's lawyers to the court.
Fonseka, who lost the vote, alleged that he was robbed of victory because of rigging, electoral malpractice and undue influence of the government on the electorate.
His petition contended that state media was also misused and malpractices had taken place at polling booths and counting centres.
Meanwhile, the whereabouts of Fonseka's son-in-law Danuna Tillakaratne was not known so far, the Daily Mirror Online quoted a police official as saying.
When asked if Tillakaratne could have left the country, the official said he has not received any information to that effect and that the Criminal Investigations Department is probing his whereabouts to arrest him, the online said.
A court in Colombo has issued a warrant for his arrest.
