Justice Lekamwasam displayed good judicial temperament - Acting
Attorney-General
Sarath Malalasekera
Justice Lekamwasam exercised complete control of Court as a Judge. At
all times he treated both seniors and juniors alike, has displayed good
judicial temperament and always courteous to the counsel which no doubt
attracted the goodwill of the members of the Bar.
Acting Attorney-General Priyasath Dep said at the ceremonial sitting
held to welcome the new Court of Appeal Judge Justice Lekamwasam at the
Superior Court Complex, recently.
The acting Attorney-General also said:
Justice D. S. C. Lekamwasam hails from a respectable Buddhist family
from Bentara-Elpitiya in the Southern Province of Sri Lanka. Justice
Lekam-wasam had the secondary education at Richmond College. At school
Justice Lekamwasam excelled in studies and sports and represented the
school in cricket, soccer and cadetting.
After successfully completing the secondary education, Justice
Lekamwasam entered the Sri Lanka Law College and passed the final
examination. He was enrolled as an Attorney-at-Law in 1974. At Law
College, he was involved in student activities and was an active member
of the Law Student Union and in the Sinhala Union.
After taking oaths Justice Lekamwasam practiced in Magistrate's Court
of Elpitiya for nearly a decade and established a steady practice and
became a leader of the Elpitiya Bar.
However, in 1983 he took a very important decision which changed his
career, applied to join the judiciary and was appointed a Magistrate and
served in the Magistrate's Courts of Nawalapitiya, Baddegama and Kandy
and later promoted as a District Judge in 1988 and served in the
District Courts in Kandy, Kurunegala and Gampaha. After serving as a
District Judge for over a decade, in the year 2001 you were promoted as
a High Court Judge and served in Anuradhapura, Kurunegala and Kandy.
As a Judge of the High Court of Kandy you were entrusted with a heavy
work load which included Writ and Appellate jurisdiction in addition to
the usual criminal jurisdiction.
The Bar appreciates the contribution made by Justice Lekamwasam to
reduce the backlog of cases and thereby reducing the laws delays. As a
High Court Judge had the opportunity to hear several important cases
involving complex questions of law and facts. Justice Lekam-wasam tried
and convicted the accused involved in the attack on Sri Dalada Maligawa.
This was a complicated case requiring examination of large number of
witnesses. Justice Lekamwasam was able to expeditiously conclude the
case. Another such case was the murder of wife and daughter of Professor
Seneviratne. This was a complicated case of circumstantial evidence.
Justice Lekamwasam possesses a good knowledge of the substantive and
procedural laws. The judgments are well considered judgments.
Justice Lekamwasam while performing as a judge of the original courts
has acquired a wealth of experience and has wide, varied experience,
integrity, excellent judicial temperament will no doubt assist you in
discharging the duties as a judge of this Court.
Justice Lekamwasam is a devout Buddhist and was actively involved in
religious activities, and is the Chief Dayaka of the Pitiwala Purana
Viharaya.
On behalf of the Bar I take this opportunity to congratulate Justice
Lekamwasam and assure you our fullest co-operation, the AG said. |
