Tamil speaking people have:
‘Highest respect for Judiciary’
SARATH MALALASEKERA
The Tamil speaking people have the highest respect for the judiciary
in Sri Lanka including the LTTE. When the Jaffna Courts issued warrants
for the arrest of LTTE suspects, the LTTE arrested them and produced
them before the Jaffna Courts in order to be dealt with under the law of
the land, said Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva PC at a press conference
held at the Ministry of Justice and Law Reform auditorium on Friday
morning.
Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva PC emphasised that when he was the
Attorney General indicted LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran on 101
charges in Jaffna Courts and he (the Chief Justice) appointed a Judge to
hear the trail against Prabakaran. “I am responsible for stopping the
P-Toms agreement, otherwise the LTTE would have got millions of dollars
as funds from abroad, the Chief Justice added.
The Chief Justice said that on an invitation of the Ministry of
Justice and Law Reform Secretary Suhadha Gamalath. He had opened several
court houses in the Jaffna peninsula. During the opening ceremony not a
single bullet was fired towards the court houses by the LTTE.
The Tamil people should be given their due place to work in their own
language in order to maintain a Sri Lanka of one nation. The Ministry of
Justice had established judicial maps for the benefit of the public.
Judicial Zone established to hear criminal cases before the High
Courts. Judicial Districts to hear civil cases and Judicial Divisions to
hear the other cases. The judicial map had demarked the judicial
boundaries.
The judicial map should be exhibited in every court house notice
boards for the public who are interested to ascertain their respective
courts. The Ministry of Justice and Law Reform Assistant Secretaries
Dilhara Amarasinghe and A.K.D.D. Arandae took special interest to
prepare the ‘Judical Map’ for over three years. The Courts are now close
to the public, said the Chief Justice.
The Chief Justice paid tribute to Ministry of Justice Secretary
Suhadha Gamalath for his valuable and able assistance rendered during
the setting up of Judicial map.
“We now have 108 judges including 60 High Courts Judges in the
Country to hear cases without any delay. The cases before the North and
East Courts are being heard without any hinderance. All those courts are
conducting proceedings without any delay,” the Chief Justice added.
The sophisticated system of the ‘Judicial Map’ the public could
select their courts without any difficulty. The Grama Sevakas also have
been educated accordingly, the Chief Justice said. Justice and Law
Reform Ministry Secretary Suhadha Gamalath also addressed the media. |