5th Column
Justice: Just his own undoing
View(s):My dear Mohan,
I thought I must write to you because I am as confused as you are. They tell me that you have been removed from office, or to be more precise, you never held office at all. You must pardon us for being puzzled because we must be the only country which had three Chief Justices within three days!
Of course, we had been promised in Maithri’s manifesto that all of Shirani’s privileges would be restored, so I suppose you could not say that you were not warned. But then, whoever thought Mahinda maama would have to retire and Maithri would be running the country with Ranil?
Mohan, you did have your share of good fortune. You had retired as Attorney General some time ago and was singing for your supper as Mahinda maama’s advisor. That was when Shirani gave an ‘unfavourable’ verdict and it was decided that she had to go. Then, all hell broke loose.
Her job was offered to many people including Mahinda maama’s good friend, the late CR, but being a person with self- respect, he refused. They say that fools rush in where angels fear to tread, don’t they? So, you readily accepted and I think you enjoyed the job and all its glory while it lasted.
Why, there was the time you had to trek all the way to ‘Carlton’ in Tangalle for the Sinhala New Year to share kevum, kokis and kiribath with the first family. More recently, you were even included in the small delegation that visited the Vatican to invite the Pope to visit our country!
You did all this and no questions were asked. Then, just because you visit Temple Trees in the night, that Ranil chap and that association of lawyers made a big fuss about it saying that it was ‘improper’ and that you should resign! It is not as if you had ‘aappa’ with Mahinda maama for dinner!
Of course you had to stand up and fight for what you thought was right: at least a diplomatic post in return for your resignation. Now, that would have been cost-effective, wouldn’t it, because it would have saved the government millions of rupees they would have had to spend trying to impeach you!
I heard Ranil first offered you a posting in Brazil! Real cheapskate he is, isn’t he? That alone shows that this Ranil chap has no respect for the dignity of the judiciary, offering you Brazil, of all the godforsaken places in the world! He thinks you are in the same class as Mahinda, the retired IGP?
Then, we are told, they offered you a posting in Rome. That is when you missed the bus, Mohan. If you had taken up that offer, we would have none of this nonsense about your appointment being “null and void” and all these controversies about whether you really held office for the last two years or not.
You should have left when people would have asked you why you were leaving instead of waiting until they were asking you why you were not leaving. If you said yes to Rome, not only would you be having a job now, you would have been acknowledged as the 44th Chief Justice of the country as well.
Shirani on the other hand, is smart. When she was asked to resume her position, she came, she saw and then she left the next day, instead of overstaying her welcome. Now, the same people who impeached her are singing her praises and saying what a wonderful and dignified lady she is!
Anyway it was heart-warming to see at least a few people defend you at the House near the Diyawanna Oya. And isn’t it funny that those who were arguing your case were not the Blue types but Dinesh and Wimal? Obviously the Blue types don’t want to get in to the bad books of Maithri!
It must have been quite distressing to hear what they said about you in the House too, Mohan. They accused you of saying that you would give ‘any judgment’ just to stay in your job. Now, why should we believe such stories when we all know how fair, honest, impartial and unbiased you are?
You must be wondering how you would spend your second retirement but I am certain you will be kept busy because you might have to answer questions about what you were doing at Temple Trees on election night and about many other matters during the last days of Mahinda maama’s rule.
We wish you good luck, Mohan. I have this uneasy feeling that you will need a lot of it in the days to come. I can give you one piece of advice though: Whatever you do, do not get advice from the ‘other’ Peiris who was dabbling in legal matters; he is responsible for most of this mess anyway!
Yours truly,
Punchi Putha
PS: I know you may not be happy about what has happened to you in the last few weeks but I think you may still be quite lucky. Think about Tissa’s fate, for instance: instead of being a minister, he is now in a remand cell. You might as well say, “There but for the grace of God, go I”!