Drastic resolution to be moved at Bar Association General Meet today

Saturday, 15 December 2012 00:09 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Thousands of lawyers are expected to gather at Hulftsdorp today for urgently summoned General Meeting of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka that will focus on the impeachment process against Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake.

The BASL General Meeting will be held at 10 a.m. at the foyer of the Colombo District Court, outside the Bar Association premises and lawyers expect a higher turnout than usual for the meeting.

Senior constitutional lawyer and activist J.C. Weliamuna said the Lawyers Collective, an umbrella organization of legal associations and lawyers said they had called on lawyers throughout the country to attend the meeting. The Government had also moved to send lawyers to disrupt proceedings, but they were confident that any resolution moved at the meeting will pass with a high majority. “Even those lawyers attending on behalf of the Government have privately expressed solidarity with us. So if there is a secret ballot on the resolution, the result will indicate this,” Weliamuna said.

During the meeting the BASL is expected to pass a resolution for strong action on the part of the legal fraternity against the legislative process to remove the country’s most senior judge. The phrasing of the resolution is likely to be amended on the floor.

The draft resolution states that in the event of an impeachment of Chief Justice Bandaranayake ‘through an illegal process’ the Bar will urge all judges of the Supreme Court, judges of the Court of Appeal and other attorneys at law not to accept the office of the Chief Justice and that the Bar shall not welcome a new appointee. “In the event of an appointment being made to the post of Chief Justice, Bar shall not welcome and refrain from recognizing such person as the Chief Justice and not invite such person for any function of the Bar at all times,” the draft resolution states. The resolution also calls for the Bar to refrain from appearing before such an appointee for the period of one month. According to the draft resolution, the Bar will also resolve to condemn the conduct of the four lawyers in the Parliamentary Select Committee who “proceeded with an ex parte inquiry coercing the Chief Justice to walk out of the PSC proceedings and proceeding with the same in violation of Rules of Natural Justice and Constitutional Provisions safeguarding the independence of the Judiciary.”According to the resolution the Bar will also urge member countries of the International Bar Association to pass resolutions condemning the impeachment process adopted by Sri Lanka in violation of the rules of Natural Justice. The Bar will also resolve to boycott court proceedings for one hour between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. every day at all courts commencing Monday (17) indefinitely if the Executive proceeds with the impeachment.