Reminding the nation of a dark political past, two distinct factions – the United National Party (UNP) clique that brought an impeachment motion against former Chief Justice Neville Samarakoon under J.R. Jayewardene’s authoritarian regime, and the Mahinda Rajapaksa-led faction that ousted former Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake – have now aligned together.
Both J.R. Jayewardene and Mahinda Rajapaksa brought impeachment charges against Chief Justices after being enraged by their inability to manipulate the judiciary to suit their political whims. During J.R. Jayewardene’s tenure, Chief Justice Neville Samarakoon resigned following the impeachment motion filed against him. Similarly, Mahinda Rajapaksa initiated impeachment proceedings against Shirani Bandaranayake, utilizing his parliamentary majority to remove her from the post of Chief Justice.
Ranil Wickremesinghe, who served as a powerful minister during J.R. Jayewardene’s administration, represents that era today, while Dinesh Gunawardena – who opposed the UNP back then—subsequently led the charge to depose Shirani Bandaranayake.
Despite their history of undermining judicial independence, both groups have now converged under the guise of defending the judiciary, precisely at a time when the current government is contemplating extending the retirement age of all judges.
