CJ’s lawyers call for Speaker to take action against conduct of abusive PSC members

A day after Government PSC members claimed the Chief Justice was not subject to derogatory words, the Lawyers for Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake yesterday wrote to Speaker of Parliament Chamal Rajapaksa, calling on him to take action against the unseemly conduct of some members of the Parliamentary Select Committee probing the impeachment motion against the Chief Justice.

The letter from Neelakandan and Neelakandan Attorneys-at-Law said the Chief Justice had been insulted and some of the gestures and mannerisms had been totally unacceptable.

“We trust you will agree that such behaviour is inappropriate in any circumstances. It must be even more so when the Respondent is the Chief Justice of the country and a lady at that,” Neelakandan and Neelakandan said. The letter also provides detail about the abusive language used against the Chief Justice including “pissu gaani” (mad woman) and “baba” (baby).

During an interaction between President Mahinda Rajapaksa and newspaper editors on Thursday at Temple Trees, PSC Chairman Anura Yapa Abeywardena said recordings would show that the CJ was treated respectfully in the PSC deliberations.

The following is the full text of the letter of CJ’s Lawyers to the Speaker:

Hon. Chamal Rajapaksa

The Honourable Speaker

Parliament Secretariat

Sri Jayewardenepura

Kotte.



Honourable Sir,



Conduct of some of the members of the Parliamentary Select Committee inquiring into allegations against the Chief Justice



We write on the instructions of our Client Dr. Shirani A. Bandaranayake.

We wish to draw your attention to the manner in which some members of the Select Committee conducted themselves and request you to take action which you consider appropriate. The Chief Justice was insulted. The gestures made and mannerisms were totally unacceptable. Some of the words used were inter alia the following:

“pissu gaani”

“Api me nonava methana thiyagena methana thiyagena madawanawa”

“Babaa” – “Naa baba hukung”

“Usaviye nadagam natanawa”    

“Meyaata Adamla godak innawa”

“Babaa wage hitiyata babaa wage weda nee”

We trust you will agree that such behaviour is inappropriate in any circumstances. It must be even more so when the Respondent is the Chief Justice of the country and a lady at that.

Yours faithfully,

Neelakandan and Neelakandan