UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe's lawyers have filed a motion in the Supreme Court requesting a five-judge bench to hear the appeal by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa against the Court of Appeal interim order. 

It was reported that three-judge bench comprising Eva Wanasundara, Vijith Malalgoda and T.B. Dehideniya will hear Rajapaksa's appeal on Friday. 

However, several reports raised questions over Wanasundara's suitability to hear the case, as he has publicly boasted of her personal relationship with former President Mahinda Rajapaksa during the "Law College days". 

It is against this backdrop that Wickremesinghe's lawyers have filed a motion requesting a fuller bench to hear the appeal. 

It was the interim order issued in relation to the Writ of Quo Warranto filed by 122 MPs that temporarily ousted Rajapaksa and his purported government from office.