Colombo , Sri Lanka ( CNN ) -- Sri Lanka 's former army chief appeared before a military court Tuesday , on charges that he says are designed to remove him from politics . Retired Army Gen. Sarath Fonseka faced a panel of three military judges , who are to decide whether he is guilty of participating in politics while still in uniform . Fonseka 's spokesman Anura Kumara Dissanayake said the former military commander 's lawyers raised two objections : that the judges are biased and that a military court can no longer rule on Fonseka 's case , because he left the army more than six months ago . The court will reconvene on April 6 to rule on the objections , according to government spokesman Maj. Gen. Prasad Samarasinghe . However , Fonseka must return to court Wednesday to face separate charges of violating military procurement procedures . Fonseka says the charges against him are false and politically motivated . The man credited with the military campaign that defeated a quarter-century-long insurgency by the Tamil Tiger rebel movement was arrested last month . He was dragged from his office by armed military police during a meeting with his supporters , they said . He has since been detained at naval headquarters in Colombo , where the military tribunal is convening . Fonseka and President Mahinda Rajapaksa were allies and heroes of last year 's battle against the Tigers , but they drifted apart . Fonseka 's supporters say the former general was seen as a threat to the government and his arrest was ordered to prevent his participation in parliamentary elections April 8 . The former military commander challenged Rajapaksa in January 's presidential elections , but lost by a wide margin and accused the government of election fraud . The Fonseka family has challenged his arrest in Sri Lanka 's supreme court . Those arguments are to be heard April 26 . His wife , Anoma Fonseka , called the legal proceedings against her husband a joke . Journalist Amal Jayasinghe contributed to this report .
Retired Gen. Sarath Fonseka credited with campaign that defeated Tamil Tiger rebels . Military judges to decide whether he 's guilty of participating in politics while in uniform . Fonseka says the charges against him are false and politically motivated . Supporters say the former general was seen as a threat to the government .