News
Removal of CJ Peiris unconstitutional: Justice Minister

Remedial measures promised
By Saman Indrajith
Justice Minister Ali Sabry told Parliament yesterday that the process of removing Mohan Peiris from the post of Chief Justice in 2015 was illegal.
Answering a question raised by Matale District SLPP MP Pramitha Bandara Tennakoon, Minister Sabry said that he would take appropriate action after consulting Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa on the “unconstitutional” removal of Chief Justice Peiris on Jan 28, 2015.
Minister Sabry said that a Chief Justice could be removed only after obtaining the majority support of Parliament.
He said that a Chief Justice could be removed only if there was evidence to back any allegations of misconduct, or on the grounds of incapacity.
Justice Minister Ali Sabry said that former Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake had been removed from her post in keeping with the Standing Orders of Parliament.
Sabry said that Bandaranayake’s removal had been challenged in court, which had ruled that the removal was consistent with the Constitution.
The Justice Minister said that Mohan Peiris had later been appointed to the post by then President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Mohan Peiris was removed from his post in January 2015 by then President Maithripala Sirisena.
Ali Sabry said that the President could not remove the Chief Justice without the approval of Parliament, and therefore, the removal of Peiris from the post of CJ had been unconstitutional.
MP Tennakoon demanded to know whether a Secretary to the President could remove a Chief Justice by issuing a letter to that effect.
Minister Sabry said that a Chief Justice should be removed through a parliamentary process and added that a President could not effect such a removal arbitrarily.
“The Parliament is empowered by the Constitution to decide on the removal of a judge of the Supreme Court of Appeal Court. The Standing Order in Parliament mentions the process that needs to be followed,” said the Justice Minister.
The removal of Mohan Peiris from the post of Chief Justice should be corrected, the minister said, adding that Peiris was a respectable justice in the country’s judicial history.
News
SF claims thousands of police and military personnel leaving

By Saman Indrajith
Thousands of police and military personnel had left the services recently as they did not want to carry out illegal orders, Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka told Parliament yesterday. According to the war-winning army commander 200 policemen have resigned during the past two months and 25,000 soldiers have left the army during the last two years.
“We urged the law enforcement and military officials not to follow illegal orders. We will reinstate them with back pay,” he said.
Fonseka also urged the President and the government MPs not to take people for fools.
“Sri Lanka owes 55 billion dollars to the world. Ranil’s plan is to borrow another seven billion during the next four years. So, in four years we will owe 62 billion to the world.
Ranil and his ministers ask us what the alternative to borrowing is. These are the people who destroyed the economy and society. They must leave. Then, we will find an alternative and develop the country,” he said, adding that the IMF loans had made crises in other nations worse.
“Ranil says that by 2025, we will have a budget surplus as in Japan, Germany and South Korea. These countries are economic power houses, and this comparison is ludicrous.”
News
CEB hit by exodus of technical staff

By Shiran Ranasinghe
At least five technical personnel of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) resigned daily for overseas employment, a senior CEB official said.They included electrical engineers, electricians and foremen, he added.
“Most of them are quitting due to the economic crisis while others are simply disillusioned. Trained and experienced technical staff are in high demand in many countries,” he said.
CEB United Trade Union Alliance President Ranjan Jayalal said that the CEB had lost about 2,000 employees in recent times due to the above reasons.
“We had about 24,000 such personnel a few months ago. Now the number has come down to 22,000. A number of people had to retire on 31 December, 2022.
News
Sajith questions sudden decision to charge Rs. 225,000 from students following NDES

By Saman Indrajith
The government had decided to charge Rs 225,000 from those enrolling at the Institute of Engineering Technology, Katunayake under the National Apprentice and Industrial Training Authority (NAITA), Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa said yesterday in Parliament.
Premadasa said that the institute awards the National Diploma in Engineering Sciences (NDES) and no fee was charged from students until 2023.The IET awards the National Diploma in Engineering Sciences under the three major fields of civil, electrical and mechanical engineering, and eight sub-fields.
“This is an institute that has created over ten thousand tier two engineers. NDES is a four year programme,” he said.
The opposition leader said that the sudden decision to charge 225,000 rupees from students at a time when the average Sri Lankan family is facing significant economic challenges is unfair.
“This institute offered free tuition. We should continue this tradition. A large number of engineers are leaving the country and we need to ensure that we have a continuous supply of engineers to ensure we can maintain our essential technical services,” he said.
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