Sao Rany (centre), a Norodom Ranariddh Party lawmaker and secretary-general of the party, speaks to reporters during a press conference on Sunday in Phnom Penh. Photograph: Pha Lina/Phnom Penh Post

Ousted former Norodom Ranariddh Party (NRP) secretary-general Sao Rany and five other senior party members are back in the game after a court ruled yesterday that their unceremonious dumping from the opposition party had been illegal.

Ructions in the party are now set to flare as NRP leader Prince Norodom Ranariddh is forced to allow members that tried to overthrow the former Prime Minister back into the ranks.

Phnom Penh Municipal Court presiding Judge Chang Sinath ruled that the NRP must restore full authority to the ousted party members and return the party seal to them for use in official purposes.

“The letter of Samdach Krom Preah [Prince Norodom Ranariddh] about the ousted, terminating the obligations of all levels of the party’s leaders is dismissed,” the ruling read.

Sao Rany was dismissed by Prince Ranariddh last Friday along with party deputies Pheng Heng, Khim Sela, Thav Kimlong, Long Lim and permanent committee member Yous Saly after they called on their leader to quit politics.

NRP spokesman Pen Sangha said yesterday he would submit a complaint to the court in coming days requesting the verdict be nullified.

“We complain to the court to nullify this verdict because it has affected the status of the party for performing work,” he said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Vong Sokheng at [email protected]