No more political interference by Executive in Judiciary and Legislature: President

President Maithripala Sirisena on Friday said that he had ended the era of political interference in the Judiciary and Legislature by the Executive through the curtailment of the powers of his office.

He made these observations while participating in the annual conference of the Judicial Service Association of Sri Lanka held at the Galle Face Hotel in Colombo.

The President further said that he had done his best to restrict the powers of the Executive Presidency, which offers the country’s leader sweeping powers. He also said that several decisions were taken during the past 11 months, giving due recognition to good governance.

The President recalled how protests were carried out in front of judges’ houses and even how judges’ houses were stoned because they chose to ignore executive orders and how the then Chief Justice was impeached after a 48-hour inquiry for not obeying the Executive. President Sirisena said that the assault on the Secretary of the Judicial Services Commission had stained the judicial service.

The new Government has taken steps to build good governance across all the sectors of the country while balancing power between the Legislature, Executive, and the Judiciary, the President added.

President Sirisena pledged to create an environment where the judges would be able to deliver their judgments freely. He also said that steps would be taken in the future to provide foreign training to enhance their knowledge while understanding issues related to the judicial service. The President also pointed out the importance of finding solutions to the delay of judgment when the public sought justice. He added that the immediate attention of those engaged in the legal field should be drawn to this matter. Minister of Justice Wijedasa Rajapakse, Chief Justice K. Sripavan, members of the Judicial Service Association of Sri Lanka including the President of the Association, Intellectuals and others were present at the occasion.