Kiriella claims govt. did utmost damage to judiciary by passing 20A

By Saman Indrajith

Chief Opposition Whip and Kandy District SJB MP Lakshman Kiriella told Parliament yesterday that the government’s attempts at introducing amendments to the criminal and civil procedure codes would not exonerate the latter of the grievous crime it had committed by passing the 20th Amendment to the Constitution and thereby interfering with the judiciary. 

MP Kiriella said so while participating in the debate on the Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill, Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (Amendment) Bill, an Order under the Code of Criminal Procedure (Special Provisions) Act and the revision of salaries and allowances accorded to the Office of the Missing Persons. 

“Within months of coming into power the government did the utmost damage to the judiciary by passing the 20th Amendment to the Constitution and granting the President powers over the judiciary. It led to our international isolation. “The 19th Amendment contained democratic principles including judicial independence, which became evident when the Supreme Court held against the dissolution by President Maithripala Sirisena of Parliament in 2018. Now, the executive president is above all institutions and all powerful.

Two international bodies, the UNHRC and the EU have passed resolutions against this country. The Congress is also considering another resolution against us. In that resolution there is a section asking to accept the Eastern Province as the traditional homeland of the Tamils.

“The Justice Minister spoke of providing new buildings and developing infrastructure. The international community would not see constructing new buildings for courts as a move to ensure independence of the judiciary. Today, we as a nation have been relegated to the trash bin of the international community because of the actions of this government.  What will this government tell at the upcoming UNHRC session in September.”