Impeachment resolution on the Sri Lanka Chief Justice submitted to Parliament

Sri Lanka Parliament is to allocate 10 day for the debate on the resolution on the Impeachment of country's top judge. Parliament was told that 10 days will be allocated for the debate on the resolution on the impeachment against the country's top Judge, submitted by the Parliamentary select committee on Saturday. 

The Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) after having concluded its probe on the impeachment of CJ submitted its report Saturday morning in the Parliament when it met for the last day in the year. Parliament Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa, had appointed an 11-member select committee, seven of them from the ruling party, to investigate 14 charges against the Chief Justice Dr Shirani Bandaranayake ranging from not disclosing her wealth to professional misconduct.

 The four opposition members on the impeachment committee withdrew from it on Friday citing injustice. According to the Standing orders the Parliament has to wait for one month once the resolution is submitted to Parliament for any further action.

Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa announced in Parliament that he was ready to allocate 10 days for a debate on the resolution after the legally required one month time. The procedures of the PSC, in accordance with the Article 78 of the Standing orders of the Parliament precludes taking any action after the resolution is submitted until the expiry of one month.

 The Standing order 78 reads as follows. *78A. (1) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the Standing Orders, where notice of a resolution for the presentation of an address to the President for the removal of a Judge from office is given to the Speaker in accordance with Article 107 of the Constitution, the Speaker shall entertain such resolution and place it on the Order Paper of Parliament but such resolution shall not be proceeded with until after the expiration of a period of one month from the date on which the Select Committee appointed under paragraph (2) of this Order has reported to Parliament.

 (2) Where a resolution referred to the paragraph (1) of this Order is placed on the Order Paper of Parliament, the Speaker shall appoint a Select Committee of Parliament consisting of not less than seven members to investigate and report to Parliament on the allegations of misbehaviour or incapacity set out in such resolution. Meanwhile the chairman of the PSC Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa who himself is a lawyer told this edition that a comprehensive report has been submitted to Parliament on the motion. Parliament will meet on January 8, 2013 and the end of the debate it will have to be passed with a simple majority. The ruling government has more than two third majority in the Parliament and it could easily be passed.

Source: Department of Government Information