Independence of the judiciary is very important - President

Amid protests by the legal fraternity over the alleged high-handedness of a minister, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has said his government would not interfere with the independence of the judiciary.

 “The independence of the judiciary is very important, governments can’t function without an independent judicial system”, Rajapaksa said addressing a gathering at Gannoruwa in the central district of Kandy.

Rajapaksa’s comments came as the judges and lawyers stayed away from courts on Friday in protest against a government minister’s alleged telephone threat to the magistrate in the northeastern town of Mannar.

The Sri Lankan president who ordered a probe on the incident said that facts need to be ascertained.. Rajapaksa said as a lawyer himself his government would do everything possible to protect the judicial system without political interference. The lawyers’ body, Bar Association of Sri Lanka has vowed to institute contempt of court proceedings against the minister concerned, PTI reports.