The protests have died down, and the issue already largely forgotten by mainstream media, polity and society. What do you think are the lasting effects, if any, of the Shirani Bandaranayake's impeachment in early 2013 (500 characters)?

Less confidence in the Rule of Law. If it could happen to the CJ how about the common man? A sense of oppression that no criticism of the Govt. is tolerated. 
Pro-Rajapaksa regime styled judiciary and governance.
The ruling party now has confidence that they are above the law.
Cannot expect any serious fall out as the government has established it's hold, whether with or without fair play.

demeaning the institution of the judiciary and others cerated by the constitution. Negating the rule of law 
The currup system that was responsible for the state of the judiciary, remains, there's no impact, she too was a stooge so is the present CJ
Illegal and unfair
mainly government has reinforced its power in the judiciary and it will receive only favorable judicial reviews hearafter. this is condition fulfiiling for a future authoritarin government by a few aristocrats.
Foreboding.
It is a suicidal move, especially with regard to concerns of war crimes. After the impeachment no one is going to take any internal investigations seriously.  
None really. Sadly Sri Lanka will plod along regardless. No one really cares. Should they? Yes. But to what end? Why? Life often overtakes these concerns that are viewed as outside of our control. 
Firstly, the side-sstepping by the Presidency and the  Parliament of constitutional norms and processes devalues all state institutions and will trickle down and expedite the further decay of state institutions. Secondly, the political weightage in favour of the ruling political group at the top judiciary level will severely weaken the justice orientation of the courts system and will further encourage the popular resort to non-judicial and extra-judicial actions between citizens - social violen
Judges Lawyers are corrupt. They are the root cause of the evil.
within the country none whatsoever. Internationally we will be looked upon different
Adding awfully to the breakdown of our national institutions.
A rapid deterioration of human rights and democracy
It reinforces the precedent of using the flawed procedure laid down in the parliamentary standing orders for impeachment.  The first use of these standing orders was heavily criticised by the MPs who took part in the impeachment of Neville Samarakoon and it is a pity the executive chose to take advantage of the lack of action to rectify the deficiencies in the procedure to fulfil its needs.
The least level of rule of justice which was is Sri Lanka will die out totally.
While agreeing with the decline in protests etc. perhaps it is not entirely forgotten. While the population doesnt seem to have a long event memory, they seem to have a longer emotional memory. Any feelings of horror and anger would perhaps still be present. Additionally it was a clear indication of the brutish ham handedness of the regime

Breakdown of the independence of the judiciary, loss of confidence in the impartiality of the justice, loss of respect for Sri Lankan democracy, pave the way to a dictatorship


Independence  of the Judiciary is/will be at stake
The judiciary will be cowed and no judge of the Supreme court or lower court will step out of line. It will be accepted that judgements must and will always go in the favour of the government or the politically connected.
It is just another incident of the process of marching towards the Dictatorship. Today it is for Ms. S. Badaranayake, and tommrow........(wait & see)
loss of independence of the judiciary
A total degeneration of governance and the increase of 'family rule'. A justice system that is impaired and bereft of independence.A breakdwn of the justice system and its independence
A very vindictive impeachment process sans any credibility and bulldozed due to the lack of proper leadership of the opposition parties in Parliment. Also note that the majority votes obtained for this vindictive impeachment is due to some elected opposition party members now in the payroll of the government holding Ministerial & Deputy Ministerial Cabinet & Non Cabinet Portofolios. 
At least some people who were previously supportive of the regime are now begining to seriously question the integrity of its leaders.
The  manner in which impeachment was done was a culmination of a process that started in 1978.  It would take a long time to win back public confidence in the independence of the judiciary as it prevailed  at the beginning of  independent Sri Lanka.  
The best minds in the world have determined that since power corrupts an authentic democracy requires a separation of legislature, judiciary and executive; a FACT reflected in our constitution.  Defying rulings of the SC & AC is a rape of the Constitution making this executive illegal.  Need one say more?  Ask the Burmese!tell me what are the implications of subverting democracy by violating its safeguards, raping the constitution and carrying on as an illegal regime. 
To really understand the damning effect of the impeachment, one would need to understand the internationally recognized Rule of Law and the Principles of Natural Justice. How many voters are there in Sri Lanka? How many of them are aware of, or understand, these concepts? Sri Lankans have very short memories and the State is following the tactics of the Nazi Gobbels. 
The goverment oppressed all opposition and international opinions, ignored all court ethics and protocol and still got away with it. It goes to show that the goverment has enough power to do as they please and democraxy really doesn't have a voice. The protests died down so soon possible because the public have realized protesting would be of no avail.
There is increased international attention on the country, from organizations that have not been that involved in Sri Lanka before, so adding to the chorus of critics. 
Impeachement is a solid prove of dictateship rule of Sri Lanka Govt.  It will make the people of Sri Lanka unite without any barrier which will help to form a new history
Nothing will happen, this will be one of the forgotten issue soon
Absolute disregard for the laws of the country and that it is only the Executive which is supreme
Not to resort to hyperbole, but this means that the current regime can clamp down on anyone not toeing their line of action with absolute impunity. Whilst not affecting me personally, if it happens to one, it will eventually happen to every one of us. 
The impeachment highlighted the vulnerability of democracy.  The apparent insensitivity of society towards this state of affairs indicates the extent to which the show of development has anesthetized the political consciousness of society. 
Sri lanka is coming up as a delegative democracy, where institutions are no longer important but a strong Executive power.
The judiciary has been subordinated and not only has parliament strengthened it power, so has the President (now and in the future). 
The legal challenges are still not over. If they are not successful the judiciary will in future tow the Government line. If they are successful the result may be chaos as the Govt is unlikely to accept it with humility.

It has put the final nail in the coffin of the charade of democratic practice in Sri Lanka.  While it has removed any semblance of the rule of order, it has certainly brought about a situation where the people are forced to face reality and surrender the world of make bs bits of make believe that the government has projected up to now and compels people to face the reality that there is no rule of law their illusions about Sri Lanka being democratic.
For the ordinary person struggling to make ends meet, very little effect. For the judicial system of the country, if the highest authority of the system could be ousted in this manner, what more to be said of the entire system? 
Rarely a day passes without some incident is reported which at least indirectly follows from this action of the government. On the positive side, some within politics seem to have become a little more aware of the meaning of the largely alien concept of a 'conflict of interest'.
The effect would be that the whole world won't anymore beleive in the SL's judicial system, and that in turn would've effect on foreign investment, & other internatgional relationship between SL & the rest of the world. Furthermore it'll hasten the fall out of the current regime which brought shame on SL when it didn't respect the judicairy & didn't stick to the Sl's Constitution.
I am not sure of any lasting effects other than giving the Rajapakse's more confidence that they can get away with anything.
She was a polotical appointee and seperated from the Govt after her husbound got involved with TF shar isse
Breakdown of Nation.
The deed is done. The impact will be that this kind of actions will undermine people's faith in just government and its replacement with arbitary government. This will have considerable effect on future development of society.
Callous disregard for the demise of democracy and rule of law by majority of the citizens of Sri Lanka
precedence being set for impeachment of judges that do not toe the govt line. in immeadiate future judicial independence questionable. future govts cud also use same tactic.



This country is not a democracy, but this was the last straw. Just feels like it's all downhill from this point.
The issue may be ignored by the media. But it is the duty of civil society to keep it alive and to keep reminding the people of Sri Lanka and the international community the threat to the rule of law and judicial integrity as a result of this flawed process. 
A precendent has been set where the legislature has exercised supremacy over the judiciary; something not consistent with the constitution. This lawless act of the legislature undermines the institution and opens up the floodgates for the legislature to use the state as vehicle for self aggrandisment even more so than in the past.
The government has been badly tarnished and exposed. It is not true that everything has died down. There is a large reservoir of internal anger that can implode under future stress.

GOSL doesn't give a toss about public opinion
Confirmation of the complete absence of Rule of Law in the country.

This was a severe blow to Democracy & rule of law in the Country. The Legislature already been under the control of the Executive, this move has now brought the Judiciary also within the ambit of the Executive.
Loss of judicial independence 
Acceptance that the executive can control the judiciary, breakdown of separation of powers, acceptance of hegemonic rule

The Judiciary is no longer independent. The Judiciary has to keep the President/ government happy. The Parliament and certain ministers seem to be above the law. Woe be unto anyone who comes up against the Rajapakse government.  
perhaps forever losing the integrity as a nation. We lost the remains of our flawed model of democrac when majority traitor parliamentarians bought over by the current govenrment passed the 18th ammendmend. The day Shirani B was ousted was not the breaking ppoint- 18th ammendment was. We created a oligarchy on that day. This is only a consequence. She was also a part of the judiciary that supported the legalization of the un constitutional crossing over of MPs. She too was a part of her downfall

This would affect the very fabric of democracy that would lead to making the people of this country helpless in the face of a totalitarian regime.

The judiciary has been weakened - of course it has been a continuing process. Also, it is difficult now to have any faith in the delivery of justice. What appears more important is who you are aligned with rather than doing what is right. This will inevitably shape the ethics of our entire population.
A total mistrust in any matters related to the Judiciary ! No faith in ever recieving a fair trial !!
A total break down in law and order.  It is visible in our day to day lives.
As long as this government is in power they will be able to justify the decision. However, nothing nor nobody lasts forever. So a lot depends on who survives longer. It took Nelson Mandela 30 Years in Jail but he survived long enough to make a difference to South Africa.
a mockery of the legal political trust
judiciary terrorised, making it toeing the line of the government;government's lack of concern for rule of law and international credibility exposed; polarisation further strengthened'

None. Basically.

The lasting effect is that the citizens do not care about judiciary.

The rulers of the country are sending a message which is loud and clear" Fall in line with our policies or perish"


The breaking down of a failing democracy, the final straw, the death of rule of law. 
1. Historically CJ's have been impeached when they act against the Government. So I do not think it is something new and will have any lasting effect. Because who ever is the CJ that person has to obey the ruler. 

Disgraceful.
As Citizens   anyone can't do anything today. It is widely accepted fact the whole process is unjustified. 



Growing nepotism in the government, a lack of transparency and accountability. No devolution of power, lack of civil liberties given to the Tamils, and the government becoming essentially a dictatorship. 
nothing
VERY VERY UNFAIR
a moment of protest. Signs of cracks within the upper-middle class support to the govt.
question of independence of judiciary
Errosion of the trust that people had in the judicial process is the first casualty. Second the high esteem with which we held Judges is reduced. They are politicized and would decide along party lines. People can now fix cases is what the government is telling us. So like the chit system for jobs, and visting lawyers for consultation to their chambers we can visit judges for predetermining the outcome of cases
firstly i think that we never really had an entirely independent judiciary. even the CJ believe was not entirely clean. however i think that the impeachment that violated the constitution has set a precedent for more violations of the constitution in the future. mohan pieris was elected by and under the influence of the government. he gets to decide weather the case against him is right. now not only can the government violate the constitution but it also seems as though they will not need to.

The impression that the regime can do anything they want because of their parliamentary majority, and the fact that they will pass legislation supportive of their agenda with Supreme Court support.
Want to write but now I have no time will write later in the day!
breakdown of law and order with an emphasis on the inefficiency of the judiciary and the overwhelming powers of the executive
The impeachment process marks  the complete indirect ( or rather direct in this case) establishment of a very prominent dictatorship by the current regime. This marks a very clear and distinct phase of dictatorship and obviously marks the strongest violation of the most important features of a democracy that seperates it from an Anarchy. In that sense the main effect of this haphazard impeachment process would be the state of a rapidly deteriorating democracy.  . 
No lasting effects, it's already forgotten. We have a short memory and other things to worry about, like how to get back home after work without being run-over by a bus
That no matter how illegal, unconstitutional something is, if the Government wants it to go ahead, it will. A complete mockery of democracy. The silence of the public and the fact that there is hardly any reference to the incident shows how insignificant something so crucial is to the public at large.
long term negative implications, domestically and internationally. 
a cowing down by judges, when it comes to interpreting the law.
I do not have much respect for the actions of Shirani Bandaranaye as CJ. She handled cases which had conflict of interest. She should have upheld the respect of the position she held.
People remember this regime as one which needs their stooges in the judiciary. Although the incidence is forgotten this black mark will appear in time to time    
The flawed process showed the rest of the world and us Sri Lankans that the government is willing to ignore the rulings of the highest court of the land to pursue its' agenda of survival. Our judicial system, for many the final sanctuary against a rampant government has been handed over to uneducated MPs. This was a telling step in Sri Lanka's transition to a dictatorship.
It is usual for mass protests to die down after a short time,unless it is proped up.People have already lost faith in the judicery even before even before shirani's matter was taken up. May be Shirani too controbuted to the law delays wittingly or unwittingly. 

The 2013 BASL election was directly linked to the impeachment and I also beliebe the outcome is a clear expreseion of "anger" towards all those who contribute to the debacle of the impeachment. 
None. The effects of an impeachment motion are not understood by the general masses.

Unsure
It has fundamentally ensured the subservience of the judiciary towards the executive for the period up until the abolition of the 1978 constitution. 
A fatal attack on independence of the judiciary and the rule of law.
The judiciary will not be independent even to the limited extent it was in the past


An erosion of public belief in the state; loss of international credibility
Righteousness will not prevail in Sri Lanaka.
ugly precedent in its own right, but at this juncture it means that the highest place in law in the land is corrupted, due to the successor 
There is an erosion of the rule of law. This has been going on for a while, but this feels like the final nail in the coffin.
Consequences will be felt by the nation at the UNHRC sessions in Geneva

This has paved the way to a situation where the rule of law in this country no longer exists.Now the Rajapaksha troica  are able to do what ever they want through the puppet CJ.We have become a bannana republic
It proves that the judiciary of SL is not independent.
The apparent ease in which the government impeached Shirani Bandaranayke will have set an unhealthy precedent of by-passing the rule of law. It has successfully disenfranchised the Judiciary.
It has erroded any possible rest belief in the formal legal system and proven again that there is no safe legal system to rely on

loss of reputation for the democracy in Sri Lanka
The impeachment has diminished the office of the chief justice.I have no faith in the judicial system in Sri Lanka
Apathy with a dangerous twist...... if you cant fight them, join them...... No one capable of doing a decent job. Replacement will NOT change a thing

It was the final nail in the coffin for rule of law in Sri Lanka. To be honest, I feel the impeachment left a scar in the justice system in the country. The top most in governance rejecting it and ridiculing it was a sad thing to witness.
End of judicial independence. Unbridled servility of the judiciary to the executive. Further mangling of the consistitution and the guiding principals of state.
The very disturbing lasting effect of the impeachment is that once you achieve the powerful position of being Executive President under the present constitution there are no restraints on your absolute use of power. The illusory constraints in the present Constitution are seen to be quite ineffective if the Executive is determined to act in a particular manner. Our democracy is seen to be a sham or counterfeit and what we have is untramelled use of power. There is no rule of law; only of men. 
decency and fairness trust in the court system has disappeared
Sri Lanka has shown the world that she does not honour Justice, fareness. that there is no Law any more in the country

A dictatorship with no rule of law where the people of this country will be divided not by ethnicities but by loyalty or not, to the family whether right or wrong.
Since no democratic views were accepted by the Govt. it looks like protesting further is of no use.
If she has violated the code of ethics connected with this high office,she should be held responsible if there is doubt that she indulged unethical practices which will leave an impact on others not to violate established norms.
Only the legal circles and the intellectuals who are still concerned of what happened to the 43rs CJ of sri lanka. Prior to this the peole were already prejudiced of the judiciary with court delays and high legal fees.
Dr Bandaranaike certainly had a case to answer. Her actions were not entirely apparently above board. There was always some suspicion of a prima facie case to answer. Perhaps she was comforted by her closeness to the Executive. She could not have bargained for her husband falling out with them. To have been associated in any shape of form with the discounts at Trillium, with the appointing of herself to the fuller bench were all matters that left her rather like a 'sitting duck' 
As in all important issues the effects of interfererence with judiciary should not be allowed to be swept aside
I dont think there will lasting effects in the longer term. Due process as per the law was followed. May be there could have been more clarity and more neutral persons could have sat in the commssion.
I feel it has created a way to move forward without any fear of a Judiciary.  The independence of the Judiciary is totally lost.  No one will be bold enough to be a Shirani in the future as they have seen the results.  It has created a way for the Legislature to make the decision. This means the politicians will make judgement to outlaw the right judgement of the Judiciary. 

Sri Lanka has confirmed that its a banana republic


A severe curtailment of democracy and irreparable damage to the judiciary 
Judiciary won't be impartial any longer. Let's just say RIP judiciary! 
Legitimising executive/legislative interference with the judiciary, and a disincentive to a independent judiciary. This is a structural issue and thus more serious than some of the other HR violations. The resulting fear in judges is in itself a violation of the principle of an independent judiciary, which is an essential aspect of the rule of law / constitutional governance.
It is difficult to say. The PSC most certainly was not 'impartial' or 'transparent' to the extent that is required in matters of such magnitude. Clearly, a bad precedent for future PSCs. However, it is unfrotunate that the facts seem to incriminate the CJ on the charges made against her. The general word on the street was that she needed to 'go'. This reasoning has worked to somewhat legitimise the PSC, with the effect that Parliament may feel justified in appointing such PSCs in the future.


The lasting effect for the society would be a bitter lesson that the government would do by hook or crook what they want irrespective of due process, rule of law or justice and most importantly that the government does not care two hoots of what the international community, civil society or people think.  The rulers are brutal and the organising power of the masses is still not strong enough to withstand the brutality and callous modes of the government.  
The executive became more powerful than judiciary and legislature. The check and balance have been long lost thro executive presidency. Now the president himself have destroyed the balance and check with 18th amendment.

Dr Bandaranaike herself allowed 18th amenment and her husband to accept a government post. People should alway leave no room for corruption. Should alway be principled. 




justice will never be meted out according to law. rule of the jungle will prevail.
MR has mastered the technique of emdia distractionss and getting away with whatever cowardly act it want to do
Feel like one is not safe.