Sri Lanka SC says move to impeach country’s first woman CJ unconstitutional
4 Jan 2013 6:29 AM IST
Sri Lanka’s apex court on Thursday ruled as unconstitutional an attempt by ruling UPFA coalition’s legislators to impeach the nation’s first woman chief justice, escalating the tussle between the legislature and judiciary.
A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court ruled that a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC), which probed the impeachment charges against Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake, has ‘no legal power or authority’.
‘The Supreme Court determined that the PSC had no legal power or authority to make a finding of guilt or decision affecting rights of a judge since that is a power that has to be conferred by law and not standing orders of parliament’, a lawyer told reporters.
The judgement was delivered in response to a plea filed by Bandaranayake in the country’s Appeal Court seeking to quash the PSC findings, which ruled her guilty.
A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court ruled that a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC), which probed the impeachment charges against Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake, has ‘no legal power or authority’.
‘The Supreme Court determined that the PSC had no legal power or authority to make a finding of guilt or decision affecting rights of a judge since that is a power that has to be conferred by law and not standing orders of parliament’, a lawyer told reporters.
The judgement was delivered in response to a plea filed by Bandaranayake in the country’s Appeal Court seeking to quash the PSC findings, which ruled her guilty.
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