Sri Lankan President to meet Supreme Court judges to decide next move on impeachment of Chief Justice

President of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapaksa, is to decide today on the next move following the passage of the impeachment motion against the Chief Justice in parliament.

The President is to decide whether to appoint a new Chief Justice or a person in acting capacity or whether an independent committee should be appointed to probe the parliamentary select committee (PSC) report on the charges. Government sources told ColomboPage that the President is to meet with Supreme Court judges to discuss the impeachment and the appointment of the next Chief Justice. According to government sources the President would take a final decision during the next few days and a new Chief Justice will be appointed on the 18th of this month. Presidents Spokesperson Mohan Samaranayake speaking to local media has said that the President has no other option but to impeach the Chief Justice. The President has no provision through Constitution to appoint an independent committee to reconsider the impeachment, he has added. Sources added that the President was considering several names to the post of Chief Justice. Among the names being considered for the post are Supreme Court judges Shiranee Tilakawardane and Sathya Hettige. It is also learnt that former Attorney General Mohan Peiris' name is also being considered for the post, but that several governing party seniors have opposed his appointment. However, according to sources the Chief Justice Dr. Shirani Bandaranayke has decided not to resign from the post based on the Supreme Court ruling that the parliamentary select committee that probed the charges against her is not constitutional.