Senior lawyers want court to punish Bathiudeen

25 July 2012 12:12 pm

Senior lawyers including the Presidents of the Mannar Bar Association and the Galle Law Association filed a petition seeking the Appeal Court to punish ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) Minister Rishad Bathiudeen for contempt of court

They said they initiated these proceedings to ensure there would be no such interference with the proper functioning of Courts and to ensure the proper administration of justice.

The petition was filed on their behalf by Lilanthi de Silva under Article 105(3) of the Constitution which states that, “The Supreme Court of the Republic of Sri Lanka and the Court of Appeal of the Republic of Sri Lanka shall each be a superior court of record and shall have all the powers of such court including the power to punish for contempt of itself, whether committed in the court itself or elsewhere, with imprisonment or fine or both as the court may deem fit. The power of the Court of Appeal shall include the power to punish for contempt of any other court, tribunal or institution referred to in paragraph 1(c) of this Article, whether committed in the presence of such court or elsewhere.”(By S.S. Selvanayagam)