New CJ Mohan Peiris takes oaths
By Janaka Alahapperuma – Pix by: Sudath Silva
Former Attorney General and legal advisor to the president, Mohan Peiris was sworn in as the 44th Chief Justice of Sri Lanka a short while ago, the President Media Unit confirmed. He took oaths before President Mahinda Rajapaksa at 12.35 pm today on January 15 at Temple Trees. The swearing in at Temple Trees was attended by president’s secretary Lalith Weeratunga and family members of Mohan Peiris. This new appointment has been replaced Sri Lanka’s first woman Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake who was impeached by the parliament in a controversial move.
Meanwhile former Chief Justice Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake vacated her official residence at Wijerama Mawath in Colombo this morning after she was sacked from the post. According to reports, she had taken her personal belongings to her Rajagiriya residence.
Mohan Peiris is a former Attorney General (AG) of Sri Lanka. British qualified solicitor Peiris who retired in 2011 as the AG was also serving as the legal advisor to the Cabinet.
He is a past pupil of St. Joseph’s College, Colombo and Royal College Colombo, where he won college colours in cricket. Thereafter he entered the Sri Lanka Law College and was called to the Bar in 1975, starting his legal practice under senior lawyers D. R. P. Gunatilleke and Daya Perera, PC. Thereafter he enrolled as a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales in 1978.
He joined the Attorney General’s Department as a State Counsel in 1981, later becoming a Senior State Counsel serving for over 15 years. During this time he trained at the National Institute of Trial Advocacy at Harvard Law School, the Centre for Police and Criminal Justice Studies at Jesus College, Cambridge, UK and at George Washington University, USA.
After leaving the Attorney-General’s Department he engaged in private practice. He specialized in original and appellate courts in the areas of inter alia, administrative law, commercial law, land law, fundamental rights, industrial law, injunctions and criminal law and as an arbitrator. He was the Chairman of the Board of Examiners for the Intermediate Examination and Examiner of the Sri Lanka Law College, a visiting lecturer at the Faculty of Law of the University of Colombo, Deputy President of the Sri Lanka Bar Association (BASL) and a member of the Sri Lankan Delegation to the Universal Periodic review at the 8th Session of the Human Rights Council of the United Nations.
His wife Priyanthi is also an Attorney-at-Law.
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Well done Mr Peiris, hope you have a succesful tenure. But remember, you cannot sit on cases concerning Ekneligoda because you know where he is.
This is very illegal and unethical appointment. Mohan Peiris has never worked as a judge and everyone knows that he is a close friend of the government. Peirsi has been backing the government, everyone knows.
So now the real objectives of the impeachment is clear.
This appointment violates law, order and ethics of the country.
Basnayaka,
To govern you have to have people those help ypu, not hinder. As long as there is a general election every 5 years and it is not rigged, I do not have any problem with that. People will decide and give the verdict. Once it it is done, the parliment and the president is the power. Not the court or CJs. This situation have risen because the ex-CJ did not want to obey the summon by the parliment.
I have read a few of your comments.
I know your position and your politician motivation.
Therefore, I don’t answer your question.
I did not ask a question, only put my view. Also democracy is sold as the peoples’ power and representation. Then once selected and empowered by the people, nobody is above that until there is another such selection, unless impeached by the parliment (in the case of president).
– Kingdom of Sri Lanka (political leaders can do whatever they wish and like)
– As far as honest leaders no around, any thing could happens any time (we will pay the price)
– People has to think out side the box, other wise every day same (we are just behind Pakistani politics)
Since 1977 – nation going back, not a single honest leader at this moment to protect and support to people. (let’s pray for better future of people – whichever religion you could be, let’s stay with one hope)
How many Nations in this world have had good leaders by praying mate? Nations doing well in this world do not run outside the country complaining to their colonial masters asking for deliverance. They do not spit upward since it land on their own faces. What they do is, whenever their is threat to the nation, get together. From the day we betrayed our king to the British, what we are doing is enjoying the democracy they left us with by having never ending infighting with party politics and going around the world with the begging bowl to maintain that.
Dear Corniche,
I appreciate your comment in blog 7 and that is the reality.
Changing the government is not a solution for good governance. I make comments in this website to correct the government but it seems like some people understand making such a sort of correct comments would be going against the government.
But if you love your children, you have to correct them and lead them rather than approving whatever they do. Approving every thing would be destroying them.Now some people are ‘YES SIR ‘ people which was the problem in this country since 1977.
Hello Basnayake:
I am not a politician, I am from political back ground family which is belong to UNP in the past 1965, then strong supporter to SLFP on high ranks. However, I had seen this political system since 1977, which is going to back on day by day. All are selfish leaders.
Mr. President, did a great things to end LTTE issues, really every single Lankans should thanks to him & Army including Sarath Fonseka.
However, now the current politics using the LTTE winning points as a trump card to foolish the people, which is not the correct leadership.
Since 1977, elected or nominated member of parliment are scared to their chairs, the leadership run as HITLOR style. Therefore, not a single MP open their mounth, if they talk they have to sacrify their life along with family. This is current situation in Sri Lanka / Pakistani politics.
Some time I could recomend Lalith Athulatmudali and Sarath Mutatuwegama both are honest leaders.
Indra is right. Appointing Mohan Peries will not be illegal and unethical just because he is a close ally of the government. That is a stupid argument. If you create a team to do something would you take your enemies into the team? Be honest and tell the truth.
The statement in blog 7 saying “…not a single MP open their mounth, if they talk they have to sacrify their life along with family. This is current situation in Sri Lanka…” is very funny because if that is the case all of the opposition MP s and their families must be long dead by now !
Warped arguements in Blog 11. The best and most capable, most senior person is given the job. Capability includes past performance at blatant lies regarding Ekneligoda in Geneva don’t demonstrate stupidity.
To summarise, the police force force in Sri Lanka had long lost its credibility; as a citizen, if I walk into a Police Station and make a complaint, nothing will happen; there will be no outcome.
This phenomenon will now extend to the Courts. Any aggrieved citizen who seeks legal redress via the courts will not be receive any hearing. The courts system has collapsed with the stupidity that took place in the past couple of weeks.
Will the new “CJ” revisit the decision of the Supreme Court which interpreted the constitution and said that the PSC is unconstitutional?
PB Jayasundera was prohibited by Sarath Silva from holding public jobs; this ruling was revised by a subsequent Supreme Court.
This courts system is funny; it can change its mind according to the whims and fancies of the people who occupy positions in the courts.
A pariah state was born yesterday with two eligible citizens claiming to be legally appointed Chief Justices.
We have gone back to LTT days when they had their own Chief Justice for the North and East.
Yes Vernon Maharagampitiaratchie, I agree with you. I live out side SL. I would like to read the explantions why the couts have decided the parliment was wrong on two occassions and the interpretation by the new CJ, if that is not the case.
Parliment & Justice is two different job task….
1. Parliment is by people mandate to change system in place, but should not involve with Justice….Justice is national law…politicians should not enter in to country law, it is eqaul for all including head of state.
2. To become political leader do not need any qualification, but for Justice need qualification, if that is the case, how politicians handling the Justice.
3. We are democratic nation, but now sound like Kingdom – if you go through so many incident in the past (since four decades)
4. Defence could be under the head of state, but police, Court should stay under the Justice – no political power should involve with country law
5. Head of state should be open minded, transparent, honest and look the situation always for better for nation and not for political partybetter future
6. In democratic world, President can not hold the post mmore that twice, but in Sri Lanka its open and same like Kingdom rules (where is the honesty, open and transparent)