COLOMBO – The Executive Committee of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) said on Saturday, March 11, that statements made by Premnath Dolawatte MP and Shehan Semasinghe MP and State Minister of Finance, referring to an ongoing case in the Supreme Court pertaining to the Local Authorities elections, constitute an interference with the judicial process and undermine the independence of the judiciary in Sri Lanka.
The independence of the judiciary is part of the intangible heritage of the people of Sri Lanka and all organs of the State must recognize that an independent judiciary is essential to ensure that justice be done between the citizen and the State and between citizens, the BASL statement explained.
The BASL statement added that it views any attempt to interfere with the independence of the judiciary as a serious affront to the rule of law and the rights of the people of the country. Such affronts to the independence of the judiciary will compromise the ability of the court to do justice according to law, irrespective of the parties.
The statement concluded by calling upon the Government “to learn from the lessons of history and to refrain from undermining the independence of the judiciary in Sri Lanka.” ( inputs from News First)
