In the year 1999, then-president Chandrika Bandaranaike hand-picked retired Judge Sarath N. Silva to the post of Chief Justice. The appointment came under scrutiny from the international and local fora, as two petitions were being examined in the Supreme Court against him.
Over the years, he aligned himself with a number of leaders. Most recently during the 2015 general election, he pledged his support to Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Speaking on the retired Chief Justice, Attorney-at-Law Karunaratne Herath stated that Sarath N. Silva pledged his support to Mahinda Rajapaksa after it became clear that he would not receive the post of Prime Minister under the current government. He added that Sarath N. Silva joined Mahinda Rajapaksa with the hope that he will be made Chairman of the new party.
Retired Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva participated in a meeting of local government representatives convened by former president Mahinda Rajapaksa on Sunday February 14.
Today, February 15, the Leader of the Democratic Left Front Vasudeva Nanayakkara was questioned by journalists on Sarath N. Silva’s support for the joint opposition, given that he had opposed the former president in the past.
Responding to the question, Vasudeva Nanayakkara noted that the decision must be made by the former president himself. He stated that Silva, who has joined Mahinda Rajapaksa now, had opposed him in the past and rejoined on several occasions.
The Leader of the Democratic Left Front also noted that the retired chief justice has on earlier occasions aligned himself with former president Chandrika Bandaranaike and also Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka as well.
Veteran journalist and political analyst Victor Ivan gave a more direct view on the retired chief Justice, highlighting Silva’s time when he was subject to inspection by police for being with a woman in a car parked near the Diyawanna Oya. The veteran journalist noted that in truth, at that time, the country’s chief justice did not have his pants on.
