According to sources within the Presidential Secretariat , the Executive President is once again making illegal preparations to embarrass the supreme court and override the independent judiciary.
The present Attorney General (AG) Mohan Peiris who is reaching 60 years this August is to go on retirement . However , the President , it is learnt is arranging to present a special Cabinet paper to grant the AG a service extension of one more year .
Earlier , the Supreme court has issued a directive that Govt. servants over the age of 60 years shall not be given any service extensions..
Already , on several occasions , the Executive has transgressed this Supreme court directive and acted in contempt of court. Senior DIG Kingsley Ekanayake and State intelligence service Keerthi Gajanayake were allowed extensions in their service after reaching 60 years.
Mohan Peiris was appointed as AG in 2009. He was noted for withdrawing cases filed in the courts in order to gratify the Govt.’s wishes , and engaging in other actions merely to dance to the tunes of the Govt. Consequent upon this conduct he incurred the displeasure and disdain of the legal luminaries and those in the judicial sphere in Sri Lanka for compromising the hallowed traditions of the judiciary .
It is most significant to note that in this present instance where the President is resorting to the illegal measure , the AG too is allegedly a party aiding and abetting it – an unprecedented action in the history of AGs who have hitherto always acted with honor and dignity giving primary consideration to professional ethics.
LeN