Petitions filed against Wimal and Rajitha

Petitions have been filed with the Court of Appeals seeking to the prevent Minister Wimal Weerawansa and Minister Rajitha Senaratne from participating in the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC), appointed to probe allegations against the Chief Justice.

The two writ petitions were filed by attorneys Nimal Weerakkody and Chandrapala Kumarage, and taken up today before a three-member judge bench comprising Judges S. Kandaraja, Anil Gunaratne and A.W. Kalaam.

The petitioners state that a case filed by Minister Weerawansa was withdrawn by him after being taken up several times before Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake and before a verdict was given. 

An unfavorable verdict was also issued to a fundamental rights petition filed by Minister Senaratne’s wife, the petitions state. 

Therefore a possibility exists that they would take partial decisions against the Chief Justice within the PSC, and them representing the committee will be bias to one party, the petitioners debated.

The judge panel declared that as this cannot be considered as a petition submitted concerning the welfare of society and therefore they should present these facts to the PSC and then possibly the ministers would resign from the committee.

The petition was postponed to December 11 after the plaintiffs requested to seek the advice of their clients.