CJ Dep was fiercely independent: Deputy President BASL

A Ceremonial Sitting was held in honour of retiring Chief Justice Priyasath Dep P.C. on Friday at the Supreme Court. He was appointed Chief Justice on March 2, 2017.

Deputy President Bar Association of Sri Lanka, Ali Sabry P.C. speaking at the ceremonial sitting said that, during the tenure of Chief Justice Dep, though it was a relatively short period, it was yet a tremendously productive tenure.

He said the outgoing Chief Justice was a fair and reasonable judge and, whilst he had been extremely courteous to the members of the Bar, he was yet, firm towards the course of administration of jus- tice and discharged his duties with uprightness and honesty, by being fearlessly independent in the thought process and in the ultimate delivery of judgment.

He said some of Chief Justice Dep’s judgements and the rulings related to the proposed 20th Amendment to the Constitution, the determination on the reference as to the duration of the term of the office of the incumbent President of the Republic and several other important Bills referred to his Bench, consistently displayed his commitment to uphold the rule of Law, the principle of separation of power and the role of the Apex Court of the Republic as the guardian of the Constitution and the citizens of the Republic.

Chief Justice Priyasath Dep enrolled as an Attorney-at-Law in October 1976 and joined the Attorney General’s Department as a State Counsel in January 1978. He was promoted Senior State Counsel in February 1989.

He was appointed Deputy Solicitor General in February 1996, Additional Solicitor General in October 1999 and a President’s Counsel in April 2000. He was appointed Solicitor General in April 2007 and functioned in that capacity until his elevation to the Supreme Court in June 2011.