• BASL Prez Saliya Pieris PC takes Executive branch to task for undermining Court orders, slams use of P’ment privileges to exert undue pressure on Judges   

The private and unofficial Bar will wage a battle to preserve the independence of the Judiciary from the pressure being exerted from the Executive, said the Bar Association of Sri Lanka’s (BASL) President, President’s Counsel (PC) Saliya Pieris, in the wake of the Supreme Court’s interim order against the Finance authorities withholding funds for the Local Government polls being systematically ignored,

Speaking during a seminar held on 19 March, Pieris emphasised that the legal fraternity should not allow the Executive to put Judges under stress.

“We have seen that the Executive is unwilling to obey Court orders and attempts are being made to systematically ignore Court rulings. We must not allow the Executive to put Judges under stress,” Pieris further stressed.

At least two Government Parliamentarians have raised privileges-related issues in the Parliament over the said interim order which they claimed was an abuse of Parliamentary privileges.

Pieris added that the Executive, meaning President and Minister of Finance, Economic Stabilisation and National Policies Ranil Wickremesinghe’s decision to not conduct the Elections was unacceptable and that the use of the Parliament to bring pressure on the Judiciary was an unhealthy development.

“All of us must fight against it,” Pieris was quoted as saying.

(Press Trust of India Limited)