{"id":59227,"date":"2012-11-08T09:56:22","date_gmt":"2012-11-08T09:56:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?p=59227"},"modified":"2012-11-10T18:51:30","modified_gmt":"2012-11-10T18:51:30","slug":"impeachment-yes-arbitrary-impeachment-no","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/impeachment-yes-arbitrary-impeachment-no\/","title":{"rendered":"Impeachment: Yes. Arbitrary Impeachment: No."},"content":{"rendered":"

By Rohan Samarajiva<\/a><\/span> –<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Dr. Rohan Samarajiva<\/p><\/div>\n

I advise governments on infrastructure regulation.\u00a0 In the interest of effective regulation that is shielded from government interference and manipulation by regulated companies, especially those that are still controlled by government, it is commonplace to establish statutory safeguards to ensure regulatory independence.\u00a0 In the process, some legislative designers weaken the procedures for ensuring accountability by the regulatory agencies. \u00a0For example, it was found in 1999 that it was not possible to hold accountable the seven full time members of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India.\u00a0 The law had to be changed.<\/p>\n

In the drafting of the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka Act of 2002, it was suggested that provisions for removal of members of the PUCSL not be included.\u00a0 I argued that provisions for removal were included because independence must be balanced with accountability.\u00a0 My argument won.\u00a0 The provisions mirrored those applicable to Justices of the Supreme Court.<\/p>\n

I state these facts to support my claim that no one, not the President, not the Speaker of Parliament, not the judges of the superior courts, should be insulated from accountability.\u00a0 Impeachment is the procedure for holding both the President and the judges of the superior courts accountable.\u00a0 Impeachment is a procedure that is needed in a law-governed society.<\/p>\n

However, it is tragic when an instrument essential for good governance is used in an arbitrary manner for purposes inimical to good governance.<\/p>\n

People talk about the effort to impeach the first Chief Justice under the 1978 Constitution, Justice Neville Samarakoon<\/a><\/span>.\u00a0 But what is more relevant is a discussion of the non-impeachment of former Chief Justice Sarath Nanda Silva<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n

In multiple articles supported by evidence I have documented the malfeasance of the former Chief Justice.\u00a0 This is no occasion to reiterate the case against him.\u00a0 One example will suffice:<\/p>\n

As I documented in an article published in the Financial Times<\/em> of 27th November 2008 (while he was still Chief Justice), a bench headed by the then Chief Justice Silva decided on the 21st of July 2008 (CS\/FR 209\/2007) a matter that only came up for argument on the 27th of November 2008 before a different bench.\u00a0 No mistakes; no typos.\u00a0 Then Chief Justice Silva gave a decision four months prior to the case coming up for hearing.<\/p>\n

On two occasions, President Kumaratunge<\/a><\/span> intervened to protect the then Chief Justice from impeachment.\u00a0 The current President and the ruling coalition that he heads took no action to impeach Sarath Silva even when he was engaging in the most egregious violations of the law, including the abuse of judicial power described above.\u00a0 The yet not fully disclosed charges against the current Chief Justice pale against Sarath Silva\u2019s abuses of power.<\/p>\n

Yet, not only was he allowed to retire gracefully after doing untold damage to the Sri Lankan polity and economy, he is still greeted as a friend by the President.\u00a0 This proves that the present move to impeach the Chief Justice is arbitrary.\u00a0 Members of the government coalition who care for Sri Lanka\u2019s future as a law-governed country must cast their votes against it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[…]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":59228,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,46,8],"tags":[6253,6020,6251,6222],"class_list":["post-59227","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-colombotelegraph","category-constitutional-reforms","category-editorial","tag-chief-justice-from-impeachment","tag-impeachment-motion-against-chief-justice-shirani-bandaranayake","tag-impeachment-motions-filed-against-both-neville-samarakoon-and-sarath-n-silva","tag-impeachments-against-chief-justice-sri-lanka"],"yoast_head":"\nImpeachment: Yes. 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