Colombo, Mar 21 (PTI) Sri Lanka's Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena on Thursday survived an opposition-sponsored no-trust motion, the first of its kind in the island nation's history.

Abeywardena won with 117 against (the motion) and 75 for in the vote held in the 225-member Assembly.

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The main opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) moved the no-trust motion alleging him of government bias in addition to violation of the Constitution.

The opposition charged that Abeywardena, a member of the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), failed to accommodate the highest court-recommended amendments to the controversial online safety bill adopted at the end of January.

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Abeywardena was also accused of using his tie-breaking vote at the constitutional council to appoint the incumbent police chief.

He was blamed for acting in consort with President Ranil Wickremesinghe to appoint Deshabandu Tennakoon to the police chief's job despite Tennakoon facing strictures by a court in a fundamental rights petition.

The speaker, who skipped the entire debate in the spirit of parliamentary tradition, took the chair after the vote was taken.

In a lengthy address, he refuted allegations against him.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)