The National People’s Power Party’s executive member, lawyer Lal Wijenayake, says that there is no legal basis for the party to take disciplinary action against him for opposing the proposal to extend the retirement age of judges.
Speaking to the media, he said that this controversial proposal has not been discussed in any committee of the National People’s Power Party and the party has not taken an official decision on it.
Accordingly, lawyer Lal Wijenayake says that commenting on a matter on which a decision has not been taken as a party cannot be considered a violation of party discipline. He also points out that he is not waging a fight against the government but a struggle to protect the independence of the judiciary.
“No lawyer can practice his profession in an environment where the independence of the judiciary is lacking. It is impossible to practice law in a situation where the verdict of a case is known in advance,” he said.
Lal Wijenayake also attended the special general meeting of the Sri Lanka Bar Association held yesterday against the extension of the retirement age of judges.