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| Sri Lanka MPs begin impeachment of Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake | Sri Lanka MPs begin impeachment of Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Sri Lankan governing party MPs have begun moves to impeach Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake. | Sri Lankan governing party MPs have begun moves to impeach Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake. |
| A parliamentary motion to impeach Ms Bandaranayake was submitted on Thursday, officials say. | A parliamentary motion to impeach Ms Bandaranayake was submitted on Thursday, officials say. |
| Impeachment is the only constitutional way to remove a sitting chief justice. | Impeachment is the only constitutional way to remove a sitting chief justice. |
| Correspondents say the move is the latest manifestation of tension between the government and the judiciary, which has made some rulings unfavourable to it in recent months. | Correspondents say the move is the latest manifestation of tension between the government and the judiciary, which has made some rulings unfavourable to it in recent months. |
| Ms Bandaranayake was appointed Sri Lanka's first woman chief justice last year. President Mahinda Rajapakse's UPFA party has enough seats for the impeachment to succeed, but the process could take months | Ms Bandaranayake was appointed Sri Lanka's first woman chief justice last year. President Mahinda Rajapakse's UPFA party has enough seats for the impeachment to succeed, but the process could take months |
| It is unclear what the precise charges against Ms Bandaranayake are, but the initial proposal has received the approval of the required number of lawmakers. | |
| On Tuesday the Human Rights Institute of the International Bar Association (IBAHRI) told BBC Sinhala that a move to impeach the chief justice runs the risk of being seen as an attempt to curtail the independence of the judiciary. | On Tuesday the Human Rights Institute of the International Bar Association (IBAHRI) told BBC Sinhala that a move to impeach the chief justice runs the risk of being seen as an attempt to curtail the independence of the judiciary. |
| "The potential for any such action to be perceived as politically motivated in light of Supreme Court findings against the government on a matter of constitutional importance does give the appearance that in fact the impeachment might be linked to the judicial function - that [if] the government don't like what the judges are doing they are going to remove the chief justice," co-chair Baroness Helena Kennedy, QC, told BBC Sinhala's Saroj Pathirana. | "The potential for any such action to be perceived as politically motivated in light of Supreme Court findings against the government on a matter of constitutional importance does give the appearance that in fact the impeachment might be linked to the judicial function - that [if] the government don't like what the judges are doing they are going to remove the chief justice," co-chair Baroness Helena Kennedy, QC, told BBC Sinhala's Saroj Pathirana. |
| But the government categorically rejects such implications, describing them as "unfortunate". | But the government categorically rejects such implications, describing them as "unfortunate". |
| Recently, Sri Lanka's Supreme Court ruled that a bill which proposed transfering vital powers held by Sri Lanka's provinces back to the central government needed prior approval from provincial councils. | Recently, Sri Lanka's Supreme Court ruled that a bill which proposed transfering vital powers held by Sri Lanka's provinces back to the central government needed prior approval from provincial councils. |