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Bar Council head to write to President urging him to appoint judges to SC and CA
View(s):The Bar Council of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) has resolved that the President of BASL should urgently write to President Maithripala Sirisena urging him to immediately swear in judges whose names were approved to fill the vacancies at the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal. The decision was taken after the matter was taken up by Upul Jayasuriya, PC when the Bar Council met yesterday morning.
He pointed out that the Constitutional Council had approved the names of two Appeal Court judges to be appointed to the Supreme Court and one name to be appointed to the Court of Appeal. He added that one vacancy still existed in the Appeal Court.It was pointed out that last week, the seven judges of the Supreme Court, quite rightly were engrossed in a nationally important matter. The Chief Justice was unable to constitute another bench as there were only two more judges left. It is necessary to have three judges to hear matters in the Supreme Court. Accordingly, all matters in the ordinary course of business had to be postponed.
It was noted that consequently justice had suffered due to these judges not being sworn in by the President. Furthermore, the judges whose names have been recommended from the Court of Appeal can’t take up cases for argument as once they are promoted, they cannot deliver judgment.
Accordingly, the Council resolved that the President of BASL will urgently write to President Sirisena urging him to swear in the judges for thr courts to function as normal.