Former Indian CJ changes his mind

Saturday, 2 February 2013 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

By Dharisha Bastians

In an eleventh-hour development, former Indian Chief Justice J.S. Verma has decided not to lead a fact-finding mission to Colombo on the impeachment of Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake.

Verma was scheduled to arrive in the island late last night heading a mission commissioned by the International Bar Association. The delegation originally comprised four officials, including UK House of Lords Cross bench member Baroness Usha Prashar, IBA Human Rights Institute Program Lawyer Shane Keenan, and British Barrister working with the IBA’s Human Rights Institute Sadakat Kadri.

Verma confirmed to the Indian press earlier this week that he would arrive in Sri Lanka on 1 February.

The respected Indian Jurist told the media in India that the delegation would spend several days engaging in interviews with members of the Judiciary, Sri Lankan Government officials and members of the legal fraternity.

But diplomatic sources said the former Indian CJ had wanted to avoid being in the mission.

Some diplomatic sources claimed there had been a problem with Justice Verma’s visa, although the former CJ denied this claim. Reasons for the change of heart were not clear at the time of going to press.

The IBA commissioned fact-finding team will seek to investigate and determine whether the Sri Lankan Government’s move to impeach Chief Justice Bandaranayake, in violation of rulings by the two highest courts of the land that the process was flawed, was an attempt by the regime to curb the independence of the Upper Judiciary.

It was not immediately clear whether the rest of the IBA fact-finding team would arrive in Sri Lanka despite the former Indian CJ’s decision or whether the visit would be postponed.