Writ Petitition filed against CJ’s appeal

The Sri Lanka Freedom Party trade unionist D.C. Weerasekera, filed a writ petition in the Court of Appeal yesterday, seeking permission to intervene in the petition filed by Chief Justice, Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake against the Special Parliamentary Select Committee on the Impeachment motion against her.

Weerasekera has requested to dismiss Chief Justice’s petition against the PSC, which is scheduled to be taken up for hearing by the Court of Appeal today.   

Petitioner Weerasekera appearing through Attorney at Law K.W.Bandula has raised preliminary objections in terms of Article 140 of the Constitution that the Court of Appeal has no jurisdiction over the actions of the Speaker of Parliament or any of its various permanent committees that are periodically appointed for specific purposes.

He also pointed out in the petition the writ jurisdiction conferred on the Court by the Constitution does not extend to anything beyond the power to examine the records of any Courts of first instance or tribunal. (niz)