In a significant judgment, the Sri Lankan Supreme Court on Tuesday scrapped a key element of the 1987 Indo-Sri Lanka Peace Accord by which the country's northern and eastern provinces were clubbed to become one administrative unit.

A five-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Sarath N Silva declared as "illegal" uniting of the two provinces under the pact and said the president had no power to carry out such a decision.

The ruling came in response to a petition filed by the Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Perumuna.

The two provinces were merged temporarily following the signing of the peace accord between then Sri Lankan president J R Jayawardane and Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi and these remained merged as a single administrative unit till now.

The apex court's order to de-merge the two provinces has come at a time when President Mahinda Rajapakse's ruling coalition and the Tamil Tiger rebels have agreed to resume direct talks in Switzerland [Images] on October 28 and 29.

The peace accord, aimed at ending bloodshed in the conflict-ridden island nation, merged northern and eastern provinces contending that these "have been areas of historical habitation of Sri Lankan Tamil-speaking people who have at all times hitherto lived together in this territory with other ethnic groups."

This merger was subject to a subsequent referendum. Critics saw this as a move wherein the Sri Lankan government had made concessions to Tamil demands.

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