AG undertakes High Court Judge will not be summoned over Yoshitha Rajapaksa case

In a first time occurrence in the history of the country, a High Court Judge, at the request of the Attorney General’s Department, issued summons on another High Court Judge in order to question him regarding the correctness and accuracy of an order made by him.

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• Initial report detailed High Court Judge summoned another Judge regarding order.

• Writ application filed by three senior Bar members protecting Rule of Law.

• Dr. Romesh de Silva PC argued Judges cannot be questioned on judicial orders.

• Court issued interim order stopping steps on the summons.

• Attorney General later gave undertaking Judge would not be summoned as witness.

• Petitioners accepted relief; proceedings ended as principle accepted

The matter arose in criminal proceedings instituted against Yoshitha Rajapaksa.

Thereafter, three senior members of the Bar instituted filed a writ application in the Court of Appeal seeking to quash the summons, stating that their objective was to protect the Rule of Law and the independence of the Judiciary. The Petitioners were President's Counsel Uditha Egalahewa, President’s Counsel Farman Cassim and senior Attorney-at-Law Sugath Caldera.

The case was taken up on June 2 and Dr. Romesh de Silva, PC, appearing for the Petitioners and leading several President's Counsel, submitted in the Court of Appeal that the application had been filed in the public interest to safeguard the Rule of Law and the independence of the Judiciary.

Counsel drew the attention of Court to the Constitution, which recognizes the independence of the Judiciary as an intangible heritage of the people of Sri Lanka. He submitted that Sri Lanka had consistently recognized and protected judicial independence.