{"id":180939,"date":"2017-08-10T19:24:00","date_gmt":"2017-08-10T13:54:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?p=180939"},"modified":"2017-08-11T18:45:23","modified_gmt":"2017-08-11T13:15:23","slug":"pm-ranil-insults-cj-with-that-man-dep-compromises-stature-of-judiciary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/pm-ranil-insults-cj-with-that-man-dep-compromises-stature-of-judiciary\/","title":{"rendered":"PM Ranil Insults CJ With “That Man Dep,” Compromises Stature Of Judiciary"},"content":{"rendered":"

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe<\/a> in a statement with serious implications for the independence, integrity and stature of the judiciary has spoken dismissively and derisively of Chief Justice Priyasath Dep<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Chief Justice Priyasath Dep and Ranil Wickeremesinghe<\/p><\/div>\n

Addressing Parliament in the aftermath of Ravi Karunanayake\u2019s resignation<\/a>, the Prime Minister describing an injustice done to the Chief Justice while he was in the Attorney General\u2019s Department, referred to him as \u2018e miniha\u2019 (or ‘\u0d92 \u0db8\u0dd2\u0db1\u0dd2\u0dc4 – that man\u2019): \u2018because \u201cthat man\u201d had criticized the then government when he was Additional Solicitor General, he was not appointed as the Attorney General but was \u201cput\u201d to the Supreme Court (shreshtaadhikaranayata damma – \u0dc1\u0dca\u200d\u0dbb\u0dda\u0dc2\u0dca\u0da8\u0dcf\u0db0\u0dd2\u0d9a\u0dbb\u0dab\u200b\u0dba\u0da7 \u0daf\u0dd0\u0db8\u0dca\u0db8\u200b ).\u201d<\/p>\n

Thereafter Wickremesinghe flippantly attributed the elevation of Justice Dep to the position of Chief Justice to fortuitous configuration of astral entities: \u2018grahaya honda nisa miniha aga vinishchakaaraya una\u2019 (\u0d9c\u0dca\u200d\u0dbb\u0dc4\u0dba \u0dc4\u0ddc\u0db3 \u0db1\u0dd2\u0dc3\u0dcf \u0db8\u0dd2\u0db1\u0dd2\u0dc4 \u0d85\u0d9c\u0dc0\u0dd2\u0db1\u0dd2\u0dc1\u0dca\u0da0\u0dba\u0d9a\u0dcf\u0dbb\u0dba \u0d8b\u0db1\u0dcf – \u2018because the planetary positions were in his favor the man became Chief Justice\u2019).<\/p>\n

The casual and dismissive manner of this reference clearly demeans the Chief Justice, the Supreme Court and indeed the entire judicial system, according to close observers of parliamentary debates, established procedures and what could constitute contempt of court.<\/p>\n

Wickremesinghe\u2019s allusion clearly implies that the appointment to the Supreme Court had little to do with competence and that even the appointment as Chief Justice was more astrological than anything else.<\/p>\n

Colombo Telegraph notes also that if this flippancy on the part of Wickremesinghe is ignored by the court then it paves the way for anyone to be as dismissive and derisive of the Chief Justice and since he is at the pinnacle of the judicial system any other judge.<\/p>\n

Watch Prime Minister\u00a0Ranil Wickremesinghe<\/a>‘s speech here:
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