The motion to impeach the Chief Justice should be withdrawn-FUTA

Public meeting organised by FUTA ( file photo)

The Federation of University Teachers Association (FUTA) requested the Executive and Legislature to withdraw the motion to impeach the Chief Justice.
FUTA statement said that those responsible for the assault on the Secretary to the JSC should be brought to justice and those responsible for the attack on the Mannar Courts should also be brought to justice
Following is the full text of the FUTA statement

An assault on the judiciary amid rising dissent

 Harim Peiris
 Last weekend, Judicial Services Commission (JSC) Secretary Manjula Tilakaratne was brutally assaulted by an armed gang outside S. Thomas’ College, Mt. Lavina, where he was waiting after dropping his son there for a sporting event. The assault occurred after Mr. Tilakaratne on the instruction of the JSC had issued a much publicized press statement, that there were attempts by the Executive to interfere in the independence and the work of the Judiciary. The statement itself followed a refusal by the JSC, comprising the Chief Justice and two senior judges of the Supreme Court to respond to presidential summons, supposedly to discuss budgetary allocations for judicial training.

Widespread protests bring judicial system to standstill

Lawyers protest

The work on High Court, District Courts and the Magistrate Courts throughout the island came to a standstill yesterday due to the protest carried out by the judges against the assault carried out on Judicial Service Commission Secretary Manjula Tilakaratn by unidentified persons at Mount Lavinia on Sunday.
Lawyers throughout the country kept away from courts and took to the streets against the assault on Judicial Service Commission Secretary Manjula Tilakaratne. They burnt a coffin signifying the death of the independent Judiciary in the country. They contended that the Judiciary in the country had died a natural death with increased interference by the Executive.