SC appointment: Ex-Justice Minister finds fault with Prez for withdrawing his nominee

Former Justice Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, PC, yesterday (17) found fault with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake for withdrawing the nomination of Court of Appeal judge M. T. Mohamed Lafar to the Supreme Court.

- BY SHAMINDRA FERDINANDO

The President shouldn't have reversed his decision under any circumstances, the one-time President of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) said. He was responding to the front-page The Island report in its 16 June edition, headlined 'SC appointment: AKD withdraws his nominee, SJB to raise issue in House'

The ex-Minister emphasised that those who had been critical of President Dissanayake for sending Lafar's name to the Constitutional Council on 9 June, ahead of justice Gamini Amarasekera’s retirement on 20 June, conveniently forget that the process of filling a vacancy should begin before the actual retirement. Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickremaratne heads the 10-member CC which includes three civil society representatives.