CJ’s lawyers ask for 5 more weeks

Tuesday, 4 December 2012 01:03 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

By Dharisha Bastians

Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake’s legal team has requested five more weeks to file her responses to the impeachment charges against her in full, ahead of today’s appearance before the Parliamentary Select Committee probing the impeachment motion, the Daily FT learns.

Authoritative sources told the Daily FT that the Chief Justice’s lawyers had put in a request for extra time on the morning of Friday, 30 November, as per the deadline granted to her by the 11-member Legislative committee, to file additional submissions against the 14 charges levelled against her in the motion.

The lawyers in their request noted again that adequate time had not been provided for the Chief Justice to present her defence against the charges in full and adequate detail, the sources said.

When Chief Justice Bandaranayake appeared before the PSC on 23 November, her lawyers requested six weeks to file additional submissions against the charges. The PSC, in which the Government holds a seven-member majority, denied this request and allowed a period of seven days for this purpose.

The PSC reconvenes in the Parliamentary complex today at 10:30 a.m. which is also the appointed hour at which the Chief Justice has been summoned to make her second appearance before the committee. The committee reconvenes amid moves by the four Opposition members in the PSC to have sittings postponed by one month as Parliament goes into vacation, due to their hectic schedule on the heels of the Budget debates. However, DNA representative on the PSC, MP Vijitha Herath told Daily FT that there had been no word from the Speaker yet about whether their request would be granted.

“Most likely the matter will be left to the PSC to decide, when it reconvenes on 4 December,” Herath said.

Meanwhile, a movement for social justice and judicial independence led by learned monk Ven. Maduluwawe Sobhitha Thero will launch a satyagraha outside the Superior Courts Complex in Hulftsdorp at 8:30 a.m. today to coincide with the Chief Justice’s second appearance before the PSC. The movement that will gather members of the clergy, trade unions and civil society organisations, intellectuals and lawyers will demand that the Government withdraw the impeachment motion against the Chief Justice. According to Sobitha Thero, the peaceful demonstrators will also demand that that Parliament implement the rulings by the Supreme Court.

Proceedings in district and magistrates courts in some parts of the island were suspended yesterday for district court judges and magistrates to attend a meeting in Colombo.

The judges were summoned for the meeting by Chief Justice and Chairman of the Judicial Services Commission Shirani Bandaranayake. The meeting was held at 3 p.m. yesterday.

The decision to summon the meeting was made after a meeting of the JSC on Sunday (2).

The Ministry of Justice on Sunday warned that court proceedings may be disrupted due to the meeting of the judges.