CJ Sarath Silva is the head of the three-member JSC.

JC Weliamuna, a senior member of the SLBA said Judges Shirani Bandaranaike and TB Weerasooriya have tendered resignations not due to personal reasons, according to a statement issued by the Association.

The two senior judges have sent a letter of resignation to President Mahinda Rajapaksa saying they could not carry out duties to their conscience.

'Internal problems'

Chief Justice Sarath Nanda Silva is the head and the only remaining member of the three-member body, the JSC.

“The resignations show that the judicial system is facing internal problems,” Weliamuna, of Transparency International Sri Lanka, said.

He added that it is the government’s responsibility to reveal the exact problem and conduct an independent inquiry.

He recalled that senior judge Mark Fernando took an early retirement from the Supreme Court about a year ago.

The JSC, which controls nearly 90 percent of the judicial system, has been made dysfunctional due to the resignations of the two members, according to Weliamuna.

The JSC will be dysfunctional until a new Constitutional Council appointed, he added.