The Supreme Court of Ghana has granted leave to the lawyers representing the journalist, Richard Sky, seeking to prevent President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of Ghana from assenting to the Human and Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, to submit a fresh motion with supporting affidavit and statement of case for an interlocutory injunction related to the substantive suit.
The five-member panel of Justices of the Supreme Court of Ghana, chaired by Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, adjourned the case to May 17, to enable Mr Sky to amend his reliefs.
According to local media report, the court also granted the plaintiff the opportunity to file his supplementary affidavit to his interlocutory injunction.
It added that Mr Sky is asking the apex court to declare the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, commonly known as the anti-gay bill, null, void, and of no effect.
Mr Sky and Dr Amanda Odoi, who filed a similar case, are seeking the Supreme Court to restrain the Speaker of the Parliament, Mr Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, from trans¬mitting the bill to President Akufo-Addo for his assent.
In the suit, the Speaker of Parliament is the first defendant, while the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, the principal legal advisor to the government is the second defendant.
However, the Counsel for the first defen¬dant, Thaddeus Sory, suggested to the Supreme Court that the applicant be given time to amend paragraphs five and seven of his applications to sync with his reliefs.
In her ruling, the Chief Justice upheld the plea of the counsel for the first defen¬dant, saying “by listening to all the counsels, the court agrees with the suggestion of counsel for the first defendant and ordered the plaintiff applicant to file a fresh motion paper with supporting affidavit and statement of case. Plaintiff is also given leave to address any matters of fact and issues of law in the new process.
“Plaintiff applicant is given up to May 17, so now you have moved from May 9 to file the new process on May 17, 2024. Counsel for defendants are given seven days after service on them to file any processes that they may wish to.” In his suit, Mr Sky is chal¬lenging the constitutionality of Parliament in passing the “Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill,” the report said.
GIK/APA
Supreme Court grants leave to Counsel of plaintiff to amend reliefs
