Sri Lankan minister defends decision to withhold funds for judges' meeting

A Sri Lankan minister has defended the government's decision to withhold funds that were allocated for the annual meetings of judges. Issuing a statement, National Languages and Social Integration Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara has said the funds were suspended since the government did not want to be accused of undue influence on the impeachment motion against the Chief Justice. He has explained that an assumption that the occasion's agenda would be opposed to the impeachment had also prevented the funds going from the UNDP through the Ministry for the judges' meeting. According to Nanayakkara, it is difficult for the government to facilitate a meeting that was to take place as a challenge to the supremacy of the parliament. However, the judges went ahead with the meeting by personally spending on hotel charges and other expenses for the two-day event attended by 177 out of 207 magistrate and district judges. Chief Justice Dr. Shirani Bandaranayke was the chief guest at the occasion.