Former Attorney General Mohan Peiris PC will take oaths today as the new Chief Justice, reliable sources told Ada Derana. He is scheduled to be sworn in before President Mahinda Rajapaksa at 12.30pm today.

 

President Mahinda Rajapaksa removed Sri Lanka’s chief justice from office with immediate effect on Sunday, after parliament voted to impeach Shirani Bandaranayake, Sri Lanka’s first female chief justice, on Friday.

 

The resolution calling the President to remove the country’s first woman Chief Justice was passed with 155 votes in favour and 49 against it.

 

Despite being served notice of removal from the office of Chief Justice, political sources say Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake has no intention of leaving the post and has even called on police to tighten her security.

 

It is said that she has requested for heightened security, as the “Chief Justice,” in a letter addressed to the Inspector General of Police via her attorneys.

 

Sources say that Bandaranayake has decided not to vacate her post, as the Supreme Court has already declared the impeachment and its report illegal. 

 

Ada Derana reliably learnt that Shirani Bandaranayake will proceed to sit in the judge bench which is set to hear cases this week.

 

It is said that Bandaranayake’s name has already been included in the judges registry informing the remainder of the judges that she will serve as the chairperson of the Supreme Court judge bench sitting on January 15 and 17.

 

According to the proposed judges registry, judges P.A. Ratnayake and S. I. Imam along with Shirani Bandaranayake have been appointed to the chief judge bench that will preside over cases scheduled to be taken up at court 502 on January 15, sources said.

 

 Justice Chandra Ekanayake and Justice Sathya Hettige have been named in addition to Bandaranayake for the Supreme Court judge bench sitting on January 17.