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President wants CJ to retire
View(s):Compromise proposed at Temple Trees meeting with other Supreme Court judges; full pension rights offered
By Ranjith Ananda Jayasinghe
President Mahinda Rajapaksa declared yesterday that there was still time for Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake to retire with full pension rights.
He made the remarks when he met judges of the Supreme Court at ‘Temple Trees’ yesterday. They were invited to meet him last afternoon, hardly 24 hours after Parliament passed a controversial impeachment motion against Chief Justice Bandaranayake.
Those taking part were Justices Shirani Tillekawardene, Nimal Gamini Amaratunge, Saleem Marsoof, K. Sri Pavan, P.A. Ratnayake, Chandra Ekanayake, S.I. Imam, Sathya Hettige, Priyasath Dep and Eva Wanasundera.
Parliament by more than a two thirds vote adopted a resolution to impeach Chief Justice Bandaranayake. With the Speaker making an address that the resolution has been adopted, the President is expected to issue a warrant anytime now removing Ms. Bandaranayake. His meeting with the judges came in this backdrop.
President Rajapaksa explained the events that led to the ongoing standoff between the executive and the legislature on the one hand and the judiciary on the other. He had disclosed to the judges that Chief Justice Bandaranayake had sought an extension till April and placed “certain conditions”, but that he was not in favour of them.
President Rajapaksa said it was still not too late for Ms. Bandaranayake to step down as Chief Justice. If she did that, the President said, he was willing to halt any action to remove her from office.
President Rajapaksa said he was aware that the Chief Justice had summoned a meeting with “certain judges” leaving some out. He, however, did not make any comments on a successor.President Rajapaksa was set to sign a warrant last night on the removal of Chief Justice Bandaranayake.
Counsel for Chief Justice Bandaranayake, however, said last night that the Chief Justice had not asked for an extension till April nor put down any conditions for continuing in office.
Chief Justice Bandaranayake was not invited for the meeting, and the 10 remaining justices on the Supreme Court had not raised questions or issues nor made any comments during the 90-minute-long meeting.
Rajapaksa says decision according to his conscience
President Mahinda Rajapaksa said yesterday he was consulting experts and would act according to his conscience on the impeachment motion against Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake.
Speaking at an event in Colombo to felicitate graduate appointees, he said the allegations against the Chief Justice were sent to legal experts, banking experts and even a professor in Australia. “He was my lecturer at the Law College and also the lecturer of Prof G.L. Peiris and Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe.”
“The representatives of the people have carried out their task. I can take a decision according to my conscience,” he said.
He said the Government was bound to protect the independence of the judiciary and claimed it had not politicised the judiciary.
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