Colombo (AsiaNews) - Respecting one of the promises made in his election manifesto, yesterday the newly elected President of Sri Lanka, Maithripala Sirisena, reinstated Shirani Bandaranayake in the office of Chief Justice. In 2012 the judge was the victim of a controversial impeachment, carried out by the executive of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Today Bandaranayake will present her resignation, for the election of a new president of the Supreme Court. According to rumors, her legitimate successor could be K. Sripavan, former judge (and the oldest, ed) of the highest level of justice in the country.
Lawyers and members of civil society awaited the judge with garlands and bouquets of flowers upon her arrival at the Supreme Court. The first woman to hold that office, Bandaranayake was removed from her position on January 11, 2013. The motion of impeachment against her contained 20 charges, including undeclared assets and violations of constitutional provisions.
In fact according to the Church, Buddhist leaders and members of civil society the measure was a way to interfere with the judiciary, after a series of judgments made by the Supreme Court against the state.
Instead of Bandaranayake, the previous government appointed the judge Mohan Peiris, who has not yet commented on the latest developments. For Fr. Sarath Iddamalgoda, a member of the Christian Solidarity Movement (CSM), "the actions of Peiris, a Catholic, are despicable. He did not act like a Christian. He betrayed his faith and God, behaving badly."
