Impeachment

 LAKRUWAN WANNIARACHCHI/AFP/Getty Images:  A Demonstration in Colombo on November 4, 2018. The U.S. and Japan have both paused their respective projects in Sri Lanka amid concerns about democracy, according to the country’s ousted Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. The European Union said it may consider revoking Colombo’s trade privileges if the government doesn’t continue progress on […]

(Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe delivered the Sujata Jayawardena memorial oration 2015 at the BMICH on December 11.) Here are excerpts: “Let me first thank the Alumni Association of the University of Colombo for inviting me to address the Annual Sujata Jayawardena Memorial Oration 2015. I consider it a great pleasure to deliver this oration on […]

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday stated that the entire impeachment process against the Chief Justice 43 Ms Shirani Bandaranayaka by the then government of President Mahinda Rajapaksha was flawed and had no legal validity. He also stated that as the process of impeachment was illegal in its entirety, Shirani Bandaranayaka was not considered removed from […]

Dharisha Bastians  ◾5-Judge bench overturns Appeals Court writ against PSC findings in Shirani B impeachment ◾SC says Court of Appeal has no writ jurisdiction over Parliament ◾Overturns former Supreme Court ruling that PSC had no basis in law ◾Ruling does not validate impeachment: Weliamuna The Government got one step closer to legalising the sacking of […]

Frances Harrison Sri Lankan Tamil families hold up photographs of their missing sons during a protest against the Sri Lankan government in Colombo.—Reuters/File Photo LONDON: When they decided to have a meeting at their party office in the north of the island, the four Sri Lankan MPs probably didn’t expect that it would start raining concrete […]

Lawyers of the Commonwealth today passed a resolution on Sri Lanka at a special plenary session during the Commonwealth Law Conference in South Africa.The resolution was submitted by the Commonwealth Lawyers Association (CLA), the Commonwealth Legal Education Association (CLEA) and the Commonwealth Magistrates’ and Judges’ Association (CMJA).The resolution called for the island to be suspended […]

As reported by the Government mouth peice Celylon Daily News: * To foil flight to escape bribery probe * Used time buying tactics when called for submissions The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery and Corruption impounded the passport of former Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake to prevent her from escaping to a foreign country until […]

The Law Society of England and Wales today added its voice to those calling for the suspension of Sri Lanka from the Councils of the Commonwealth, following reports of serious breaches of the rule of law and judicial independence. It announced its support for the high-level international resolution at the 18th Commonwealth Law Conference in […]

ASIA: A statement by Asian jurists on the impeachment of the Chief Justice and the collapse of rule of law in Sri Lanka A statement by Asian Jurists on the Impeachment of the Chief Justice, Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake, and about the threatened rule of law in Sri Lanka. The statement is issued by the jurists […]

BASL launches brave struggle against attack on Judiciary – Editorial   Daily MirrorThough the politicisation of the Supreme Court and Judiciary began in 1996 with the appointment of Sarath N. Silva as the Chief Justice, a full-scale attack on the Independentce of the Judiciary and the consequent breakdown of the rule of law apparantly began in […]

CJ Mohan Peiris at work The Executive Committee of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) has appointed a subcommittee to look into the recent transfers of several district court judges and magistrates who have not even completed their tenure of three years in their courts.The transfers were made by the Judicial Services Commission chaired […]

Basil Fernando The International Bar Association in the executive summary of their report entitled, ‘A Crisis of Legitimacy‘ issued in March 2013 makes the following recommendation to the Commonwealth: The Commonwealth should assess the seriousness with which the Sri Lankan authorities take these Recommendations, monitor the urgency with which they are acted upon, and consider […]

The BASL convocation ( photo – Sunday Times) Shirani Bandaranayake attended the Annual Convocation of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka in Colombo on March 30, 2013. She was invited as the 43rd Chief Justice of Sri Lanka. Mohan Pieris, the 44th Chief Justice, was not invited. Attorney General Palitha Fernando came to the venue […]

Shirani Bandaranayake attended the Annual Convocation of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka in Colombo on March 30, 2013. She was invited as the 43rd Chief Justice of Sri Lanka Update from Lawyers Collective on Historic Convocation of BASL Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) held a historic convocation and inducted its newly elected President […]

The removal from office in Sri Lanka of Chief Justice Bandaranayake was unlawful, is undermining public confidence in the rule of law, and threatening to eviscerate the country’s judiciary as an independent guarantor of constitutional rights states the Executive Summary of an International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) report released today. Issued ahead of […]

Illustration: Andrew Dyson. Geoffrey RobertsonThe Commonwealth is sleepwalking towards a human rights disaster, if it goes ahead with November’s Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Colombo, where it will be presided over by Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Perhaps emboldened by getting away with murder – the army slaughter of some 40,000 Tamil civilians in […]

It is called a Magnitsky Act, named after Sergei Magnitsky, the Russian whistleblower jailed when he tried to expose corruption and who was killed in prison By Geoffrey Robertson QCProminent Australian Lawyer Geoffrey Robertson QC in a report published by the Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales (BHRC) concludes that Shirani Bandaranayake the […]

Upul Jayasuriya, Attorney-at-Law and senior human rights lawyer, was elected as the new President of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka, in what lawyers called a ‘historic’ margin of victory.  ■Jayasuriya defeats main opponent Tirantha Waraliyadda PC by more than 1,700 votesJayasuriya beat his main contender Tirantha Waraliyadda PC, the senior criminal lawyer, by a […]

Visiting Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister for South Asia Alistair Burt said yesterday that his country would support the planned procedural resolution by the United States on Sri Lanka at next month’s session of the United Nations Human Rights Council. Addressing a seminar, Mr. Burt,  referred to a wide range of issues. While acknowledging progress […]

Sumanasiri LiyanageThere is an unusual and unexpected calmness in Hulftsdorp in the post-impeachment days in spite of the fact that all traditions and conventions were put aside in the appointment of the new Chief Justice in place of Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake. At the time of appointment as the CJ, Mr Mohan Pieris was a director […]

Political friends? Sri Lanka’s legal fraternity takes a stand for judicial independenceLawyers in Sri Lanka have boycotted the inauguration of the government’s newly-appointed chief justice.Sri Lanka’s legal fraternity takes a stand for judicial independence (Credit: ABC) The Bar Association of Sri Lanka has been agitating for the reinstatement of sacked chief justice Shirani Bandaranayake, saying […]

Faced with this unexpected resistance, the government withdrew the Act in April 2012.Three people were instrumental in impeding the Sacred Areas Act – CJ Bandaranayake, the Chief Minister of the NCP Berty Premalal Dissanayake and the Chief Minister of the EP Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan.14 months later all three are out of jobs.by Tisaranee Gunasekara“Dreadful symptoms of […]

Lawyers, accountants, engineers, architects and various other professionals this week slammed the impeachment of Shirani Bandaranayake in a near unanimous vote saying she was unfairly judged. Asked in a Business Times poll this week whether Ms Bandaranayake (who says she is legally still the chief justice) got a fair trial, more than 90 per cent […]

ICJ_logo The Centre for the Independence of Judges and Lawyers (CIJL) Today, senior judges and eminent jurists from around the world joined together, calling on the Government of Sri Lanka to reinstate the legal Chief Justice Dr Shirani Bandaranayake.Sri Lanka-Impeachment Chief Justice-ICJ open letter-2012 (full text in pdf)  An open letter issued by the Centre for […]

The Bar Association has made clear it does not support the appointment of Mr Peiris (right)   Sri Lanka’s main lawyers association has boycotted the inauguration of the new chief justice in protest at the impeachment of his predecessor. Mohan Peiris was sworn in last week, but the official ceremony took place on Wednesday. Mr […]

Bishop of Colombo Climate of fear and helplessness- Bishop of Colombo  ‘The numerous warnings that the Church, other  religious organizations and  civil  society bodies  repeatedly issued  have  been  ignored  and there is currently a climate of  fear  and  helplessness, where   people  remain silent  rather than speak  out against rampant injustice. intimidation, violence and falsehoods ‘ […]

I do hope foreign readers will not take it as scare mongering when I say a truly alarming situation may be taking shape Paper No. 5371, Guest Column: Dr Kumar David Dumb is used to describe a person who is bereft of brains, and of course its literal meaning is to be deprived of the […]

”At the outset, I wish to reject categorically the contents of this statement, as it lacks any semblance of objectivity, steeped as it is in bias, marred by erroneous facts and further compounded by the inappropriate tenor of its language, all of which are indicative of unequal and invidious treatment of Sri Lanka.” (Text of Letter […]

A female lawyer who has supported the impeached chief justice Shirani Bandaranayake has been strangled by a stranger on the road, Lawyers Collective member Sunil Watagala said. She had gone to Kirulapone police station to lodge a complaint regarding an assault of a person and his mobile phone being dashed to the ground, at court […]

On the Spot Report By Namini Wijedasa and Wasantha Ramanayake The corridors of the Superior Courts building were oddly uncongested on Tuesday, the first day of work for the New Year. NWST01201 Barbarians at the barricades: This was the pitiful scene that greeted the legal fraternity and media personnel in the vicinity of the Supreme […]