By IANS,
Colombo : The policy-making body of 11,000 lawyers of Sri Lanka said Wednesday that it had gone to the Supreme Court challenging the proceedings of impeachment of the country’s first woman chief justice, reported Xinhua.
The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) had filed an action against the speaker of the parliament and 11-member parliamentary select committee (PSC) probing against Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake on 14 charges, said bar president Wijedasa Rajapaksa.
The BASL, which represents all the lawyers in the country and part of the judges, said that the PSC refused to accede to request of the Supreme Court to postpone the probe until a constitutional interpretation was given on the impeachment procedure.
The bar asked the Supreme Court to issue an immediate order to stay further proceedings of the impeachment as it violated the fundamental rights of the legal fraternity and of the citizens.
The chief justice had denied all the allegations, including misuse of power, against her.
The chief justice came under criticism by the government after her ruling against a bill that sought wider power for Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa.