Court of Appeal President Nissanka Bandula Karunarathna, against whom the National People’s Power (NPP) government was preparing to move an impeachment motion, has handed over his letter of resignation to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, it was reported.
According to the state newspaper Dinamina, therefore, the government has decided to halt the impeachment motion that was supposed to be brought to oust Justice Karunarathna.
Justice Karunarathna has informed President Dissanayake that he has decided to resign with effect from 01 February 2025.
He was due to retire on 16 June this year upon reaching 63 years, the retirement age for Appeal Court judges.
Earlier, it was reported that the government was planning to bring an impeachment motion against Justice Karunarathna, allegedly citing his recent performance.
Nissanka Bandula Karunarathna, who started his judicial career as a magistrate and later became the President of the Court of Appeal, was recommended to be appointed to the Supreme Court by former President Ranil Wickremesinghe.
However, the Constitutional Council rejected the former President’s nomination, while an attorney-at-law subsequently filed a fundamental petition in the Supreme Court challenging the Constitutional Council’s decision. The Supreme Court dismissed the petition in December last year.
According to media reports, the Government is considering using some of the observations made by the Supreme Court in its judgment as the basis for its impeachment motion against Justice Nissanka Bandula Karunarathna. (Newswire)
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