Sri Lanka court summons impeached chief justice

Sri Lanka's impeached former chief justice Shirani Bandaranayake has been summoned to appear in court in response to an application filed by the government seeking to reverse a ruling preventing action against her.
She and two opposition members of parliament would have to appear before the Supreme Court on May 29.
This was in response to an application filed by the Attorney General which sought to reverse an Appeal Court writ order against parliament.
Bandaranayake was succesful in gaining an Appeal Court writ which clamped parliament from acting against her on the basis of parliament's select committee report which found Bandaranayake guilty leading to her impeachment and dismissal.

The Attorney General submitted that no court could rule against parliament in derogation of the Parliamentary Privileges Act.
The appeal court's quashing of the impeachment against Bandaranayake was seen as a victory for the lady judge in her claim that the whole process of impeachment against her was an act of political vengeance.

Bandaranayake, 54, the country's first woman chief justice was removed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa in January following a parliament vote on impeachment against her.
Bandaranayake and the government clashed over the independence of the judiciary leading to her being charged for improper personal and professional conduct.
She denied all charges and complained that she was not given a fair trial.

Bandaranayake's impeachment came in for severe international criticism from governments and jurists who called it an attack on judicial independence
It has even had implications for Sri Lanka's hosting of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in November this year.