Parliamentary Council clears six names of CoA judges for vacancies in Supreme Court

The Parliamentary Council approved six judges of the Court of Appeal to be elevated for vacancies in the Supreme Court when the council met yesterday in Parliament. 

Earlier the Attorney General Dappula de Livera has raised objections over ignoring senior members of his department for vacancies in the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal which are to be expanded in terms of the 20th Amendment.

The move came as President Gotabaya Rajapaksa who is now empowered to make appointments to the Superior Courts after the 20th Amendment was approved, sent in names of six Court of Appeal judges to the newly established Parliamentary Council to be considered to the vacancies in the Supreme Court where the bench is to be expanded from 11 to 17.

President Rajapaksa’s nominees are Court of Appeal President Justice A.M.D. Nawaz and Justices Kumudini Wickremesinghe, Shiran Gunaratne, Achala Wengappuli, Mahinda Samayawardana and Janak de Silva.

The five-member Parliamentary Council consist of the Speaker, the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition and two Parliamentarians nominated by the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition.

Unlike the earlier ten-member Constitutional Council, the decision of the Parliamentary Council has no binding effect on the appointments by the President to top slots in government and in the judiciary since the new Council can only put forward observations.

The Sunday Times reported last week that the Attorney General had made his objections to Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, in the premier’s capacity as the government’s highest representative in the Parliamentary Council. The AG has said none of the AG’s Department’ senior members with considerable years of service had been considered for the vacancies on the SC. The AG had nominated four Additional Solicitors General to be considered for the vacancies. They are Sarath Jayamanne, Indika Devamuni, Farzana Jameel and Priyantha Nawana.