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Ex-SC Judge slams Executive Interference
By Neville de Silva in London
Sri Lanka's Independence of the Judiciary was severely criticised by a recently retired Supreme Court judge who declared that the country's Executive was more interested in appointing those who worked in close collaboration with it to judicial posts than senior lawyers and judges of the original courts.

Chief guest, retired Supreme Court Judge C.V. Wigneswaran led the charge at this week's annual general meeting of the Association of Sri Lankan Lawyers in the UK saying that the higher judiciary of any country must be " an independent, robust and dynamic institution, rather than an appendage of the Executive."

He said, it was in the best interests of the Executive to appoint to the high judiciary "those individuals who worked in close collaboration with it." Justice Wigneswaran said that experienced practising lawyers and judges of the Original Court who are proximate to the problems of the people have been overlooked to bring in younger persons who had throughout their professional life-time been concerned with the welfare of the Executive.

Justice Wigneswaran blamed particularly the executive presidency for the subtle interference with the appointment process relating to judges of the Higher Judiciary.

The important constraining factor in the functioning of the judiciary in recent times has been the undue, indirect and subtle interference of the Executive, he said. Harendra de Silva, QC, presided. Another QC, Desmond de Silva, who is a patron of the association sent a message from Freetown, where he is serving as the Prosecutor of the UN sponsored Special Court for Sierra Leone.

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