Petitions against impeachment probe referred to SC

Jayantha de Silva

The Court of Appeal yesterday referred six petitions filed against the investigations by the Parliamentary Select Committee(PSC) into the allegations of misbehaviour and incapacity as alleged in the impeachment motion against Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake, for interpretation by the Supreme Court.

The three Judge Bench constituted Justice Sri Skandaraja (President) Justice Anil Gunaratne and Justice A.W.A. Salam.The next call date was fixed for today.

The petitions included those objecting to Parliamentarians Dr. Rajitha Senaratne and Wimal Weerawansa being included as members of the eleven member Parliamentary Select Committee.

The petitioners are Attorney at Law Jayampathi Wickremaratne PC Chandana Jayaratne, Ven. Maduluwawe Sobitha, Attorney at Law Nimal Weerakkody, Chandrapala Kumarage and Visaka Perera Tilekeratne.

Eleven Members of the Parliamentary Select Committee are cited as respondents are Anura Priyadharshana Yapa, Nimal Siripala de Silva, Susil Premajayantha, Rajitha Senaratne, Wimal Weerawansa, Dilan Perera, Neomal Perera, John Ameratunge R. Sampanthan, Lakshman Kiriella and Vijitha Herath.

The Court of Appeal made the decision to refer the matter to the Supreme Court for an interpretation as petitioners raised the issue that the Standing Order (78) under which the impeachment was put in motion had no force in law. Attorney's at Law Shibly Aziz PC, K.Kanageawaran and Attorneys at Law Sanjeewa Jayawardana and Ikram Mohomed supported the separate petitions.