Former Chief Justice Sarath N Silva has lashed out at present Chief Justice Mohan Peiris over his inclusion in the Presidential delegation that visited Vatican, Rome, early this week.

“By being a member of the Presidential delegation, the Chief Justice has shown his biases,” the former Chief Justice, who backed the impeachment process against CJ-42 Shirani Bandaranaike, had told BBC Sandeshaya on Sunday.

The former Chief Justice asserted that Peris should not have accepted the President’s invitation to be a member of the government’s delegation to Vatican.

“As a result,” the former Chief Justice said,” CJ Mohan Peiris has no moral right to hear the case pertaining to the legitimacy of President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s third term election.” However, the President has not taken any measures so far to seek the Supreme Court’s opinion on his third term election.

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Meanwhile, Lawyers Collective, headed by senior lawyer J.C. Weliamuna, raised concerns over Chief Justice Mohan Peiris’s Inclusion in the Presidential delegation which visited Rome, a few days ago.

The collective said the Chief Justice’s inclusion in the delegation was an infringement on the country’s judicial independence. The collective added that the judges should distance themselves from the activities of the government in order to ensure independence of the well-being of the judiciary.

Chief Justice Mohan Peiris, External Affairs Minister Prof G. L. Peiris and Ministers Felix Perera, Dayasritha Thisera, Project Minister Rohitha Abeygunawardena, Deputy Ministers Neomal Perera, Victor Anthony, Sarath Kumara Gunarathna, Monitoring MP Sajin Vass Gunawardena, Chief Opposition Whip John Amaratunga, External Affairs Ministry Secretary Kshanuka Seneviratne and the President’s Chief of Staff Gamini Senarath, Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to the Holy See and Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the UN in Geneva Ravinatha Aryasinha and Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Italy Nawalage Bennet Cooray were members of the Sri Lankan delegation.