| A press release issued by the Lawyers
Collective
( December 26, 2012, Colombo, Sri Lanka
Guardian) It is with shock and dismay that we have observed an organized series
of programmes in State electronic media targeting the Chief Justice, the
Judiciary and leading lawyers who are challenging the Impeachment. We have
particularly noted that Ministers Rajitha Senaratne, Wimal Weerawansa and well known hate
campaigners Rajpal Abeynayaka and Hudson Samarasinghe - all persons with vested interest in the
impeachment process, are involved in
these baseless propaganda programmes, with impunity. Ministers Rajitha Senaratne and Wimal
Weerawansa were Government members of the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC),
who have allegedly uttered derogatory remarks forcing the Chief Justice to
leave the PSC. Now they disgracefully display their conduct in public .
Among the false accusations intended to
mislead the public, they have stated that the Chief Justice has fixed the
benches in the Court of Appeal. It is common knowledge that the Chief Justice
has no role to play in arranging any bench whatsoever in the Court of
Appeal. Their insinuation that the Chief
Justice selected a bench to hear her case is an insult to the dignity and
integrity of the Judges of the country's higher judiciary.
These few Ministers and the State
media falsely accuse that the Chief
Justice has become an active politician and that the members of the Bar
Association are conspirators. It is abundantly clear that these are not
isolated attacks but meticulously orchestrated attacks coerced and carried out
at the behest of highest in authority. These are clearly intended to pressurize
the Chief Justice to summarily resign, because the Government is well aware
that the entire impeachment process is irregular and the Chief Justice cannot
be lawfully removed from office. We are confident that the Chief Justice will
not succumb to pressure, now exerted at a higher pace through the Government’s
propaganda team.
The contents of those programmes are
malicious and contemptuous and all those who are involved in them are liable to
be dealt with for contempt of court and civil defamation. We urge the Ministers
concerned to conduct themselves with dignity and caution the public not to be
misled by the false propaganda by these unruly and unethical elements, which
are unable to justify the impeachment process, except to launch a massive
malicious campaign to divert attention from the truth. We, as lawyers reiterate
that as a body we will stand by the Chief Justice and would take all possible
steps, within the law, to defeat the impeachment.
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