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Saturday April 20, 2024

SL reinstates impeached CJ

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s new president on Wednesday restored the country’s former chief justice after she was controversially impeached by the previous administration led by Mahinda Rajapakse.Lawyers welcomed Shirani Bandaranayake with bouquets of flowers at the Supreme Court in Colombo, although the decision to reinstate her will likely be largely ceremonial

By our correspondents
January 29, 2015
COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s new president on Wednesday restored the country’s former chief justice after she was controversially impeached by the previous administration led by Mahinda Rajapakse.
Lawyers welcomed Shirani Bandaranayake with bouquets of flowers at the Supreme Court in Colombo, although the decision to reinstate her will likely be largely ceremonial as she is expected to step down on Thursday.
A government official who asked not to be named said President Maithripala Sirisena had written to Bandaranayake to say her 2013 impeachment was unconstitutional and she should return to work.
“The chief justice was restored and the imposter was asked to go,” said the official, referring to Mohan Peiris, who was appointed to the role by former president Rajapakse. Sirisena had vowed in his manifesto for the January 8 elections to restore Bandaranayake, who was sacked after her judgments went against Rajapakse’s regime.