Bar Council to expel 89 members

Bar Association Secretary Sunil Abeyratne yesterday moved to expel eighty nine Bar Council members, including eight President's Counsel on the basis that they have not attended three consecutive meetings or four meetings of the Council, without a valid excuse.

The 'purge' included leading practitioners and retired judges of the standing of Mr. R.S. Wanasundera, Dr. C.G. Weeramantry, Mr. H.L De Silva PC, Mr. Romesh De Silva PC, Mr. Faiz Musthapa PC, among others.

All 89 Councillors are deemed to have ceased to hold office with effect from August 25, according to a notice issued by Mr. Abeyratne. According to legal sources, however, the Bar Council needs to move a formal resolution to remove the eighty nine councillors. The next meeting of the Bar Council is scheduled for Saturday, September 29 at the Ramada Resort Hotel at Kalutara.