Lawyers in Sri Lanka boycotted courts and demonstrated on Thursday ahead of a Parliamentary debate to impeach the country's top judge over allegations of misconduct, officials said.
Court proceedings were suspended in most parts of the country as thousands of lawyers stayed away from work and protested in the capital about the attempt to remove Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake.
Lawyers backed by opposition supporters marched from the Superior Courts Complex in the capital to the president’s office despite threats from government supporters and heavy rain.
"The government is not even allowing to conduct a peaceful demonstration," said Dayasiri Jayasekara, a lawyer and opposition politician.
Parliament is due to open a two-day debate Thursday to discuss a report by a parliamentary select committee, which found the chief justice guilty of three offences.
The panel found Bandaranayake guilty of failing to declare her earnings, hearing a case in which she had an interest and of continuing to hold the position of chief justice while a case against her husband was pending.
Earlier all four of the panel's opposition representatives withdrew, leaving only the government party members to deliver their verdict.
On Monday, the Court of Appeal quashed the findings of the panel, but the government has decided to go ahead with the debate, arguing the parliament was supreme, while the opposition has called for the Court of Appeal's ruling to be followed.
Protests against plans to remove the chief justice have grown, with critics saying the inquiry was hurried and gave her and her lawyers too little time to respond.
But government minister Mahindananda Authgamage said that in view of the charges of misconduct parliament was forced to take action to impeach Bandaranayake.
The parliament is due to take a vote at the end of debate on Friday and send its recommendations to President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who has the authority to remove the chief justice.
The government enjoys more than two-thirds support in parliament and is set to recommend Bandaranayake's removal.