Lanka starts process to impeach first woman chief justice
2 Nov 2012 3:01 AM GMT
Sri Lankan government on Thursday set in motion process to impeach the country's first woman chief justice charging her with ‘improper conduct’ and ‘over-stepping’ limits in an escalating conflict between the Judiciary and the Executive.
‘The impeachment motion with the required number of signatures of lawmakers was handed over to the speaker of the Parliament,’ government spokesman and minister Keheliya Rambukwella told reporters.
He declined to specify the charges against chief justice Shirani Bandaranayake. But, sources said the motion charged her with improper behaviour and six other charges. ‘It is now up to the Speaker to examine the validity of the charges and carry out further action,’ Rambukwella said.
He later told a press conference that the ‘government believes that the judicairy... is over stepping its authority.’
The sources said Arundika Fernando, an MP from the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA), handed over the motion on behalf of the government parliamentary group.
The move comes in the wake of opposition charges that the Mahinda Rajapaksa government, which commands overwhelmingly majority in the parliament, was indulging in political vendetta against rivals.
According to the constitution, an impeachment motion requires support of at least 75 of the 225 members in the assembly.
Bandaranayake, 54, was appointed the country's first woman chief justice last year and has another 11 years in office unless removed by the impeachment motion. Analysts said the procedure of impeachment would be a long drawn out affair.
‘The impeachment motion with the required number of signatures of lawmakers was handed over to the speaker of the Parliament,’ government spokesman and minister Keheliya Rambukwella told reporters.
He declined to specify the charges against chief justice Shirani Bandaranayake. But, sources said the motion charged her with improper behaviour and six other charges. ‘It is now up to the Speaker to examine the validity of the charges and carry out further action,’ Rambukwella said.
He later told a press conference that the ‘government believes that the judicairy... is over stepping its authority.’
The sources said Arundika Fernando, an MP from the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA), handed over the motion on behalf of the government parliamentary group.
The move comes in the wake of opposition charges that the Mahinda Rajapaksa government, which commands overwhelmingly majority in the parliament, was indulging in political vendetta against rivals.
According to the constitution, an impeachment motion requires support of at least 75 of the 225 members in the assembly.
Bandaranayake, 54, was appointed the country's first woman chief justice last year and has another 11 years in office unless removed by the impeachment motion. Analysts said the procedure of impeachment would be a long drawn out affair.
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