COLOMBO, Jan 11: The Sri Lankan parliament adopted on Thursday a motion to impeach Supreme Court Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake.

The motion was supported by 155 legislators while 49 voted against it.

The vote was delayed for some time when the opposition pointed out that voting was not on the official agenda for the day. Following a commotion, the Speaker, Chamal Rajapaksa, adjourned the house for ten minutes, and came back to say that a vote should be taken.

Since the Mahinda Rajapaksa government had two-thirds majority there was no doubt about the result. The motion was based on the report of a Parliamentary Select Committee which had found the CJ guilty of misbehaviour on three counts. The PSC had examined a 14-point charge-sheet submitted by 117 MPs belonging to the ruling United Peoples’ Freedom Alliance (UPFA).

The CJ and the opposition members had walked out of the PSC saying that the procedure did not accord with the rule of law.

The government-dominated select committee then submitted to the speaker an ex parte report.

Now the president has to take a decision whether to  spare or sack the CJ.

He has appointed three independent non-government experts to advise him. They are: banker Ranee Jayamaha, former secretary general of parliament, Dhammika Kitulgoda, and human rights worker Jeevan Thiagarajah.

There is no time-limit for the president to take a decision on the motion.