Sri Lanka's main opposition, on Friday, announced plans to impeach the chief justice following a Supreme Court decision to limit the scope of an election petition against President Chandrika Kumaratunga. The United National Party (UNP) said it was sifting evidence for a parliamentary resolution to remove Chief Justice Sarath Silva, who ruled that only one out of three counts against Kumaratunga could be taken up in court. "We are taking the matter to the people's court too," UNP assistant leader Gamini Athukorale said adding that they were organising mass demonstrations to pressure President Kumaratunga to quit. He said that the party's legal affairs committee was in the process of preparing a case against the chief justice and they were seeking the cooperation of other opposition parties in Parliament to support the ouster move. On Monday, the UNP withdrew its plans for a court challenge of Kumaratunga's 1999 election win, alleging the Supreme Court had restricted the scope of the case.
UNP lawyer Thilak Marapone said that the court had blocked evidence on two of the three counts cited against President Kumaratunga. During preliminary hearings, the court had said the opposition should base its case on general intimidation during balloting and disallowed evidence of non-compliance with election law and other circumstances.
UNP legislator Karu Jayasuriya said that they were shocked that the court was not allowing the discussion on the abuse of the state media by Kumaratunga during the campaign.
Bureau Report