Unity of the Bar primary goal

Sarath Malalasekera

The Unity of the Bar should be the primary goal, said Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) President, Shibly Aziz PC.

He was speaking at the induction ceremony held recently in Colombo.

Attorney General Mohan Pieris PC inducted the newly elected Sri Lanka Bar Association President, Shibly Aziz PC at the induction ceremony.

Chief Justice Asoka de Silva was the Chief Guest at the Cinnamon Lakeside Hotel Colombo.

The Bar Association will as a priority seek to engage actively with the judiciary to make the delivery of justice faster whilst retaining its credibility. The course of de-centralizing justice, which we have undertaken in the recent past should be further pursued and strengthened, with more training and better libraries made available to those involved in the dispensation of justice, said the BASL President.

“More innovative steps such as giving pre-trial responsibilities to Registrar of Courts, as in other countries and thereby freeing judges to handle the inquiries and arguments, should be introduced.

The Bar Association will seek ways and means to make arbitration and lawyer involved mediation a more acceptable option,” he said.

The BASL President emphasised that another important area is for BASL to build bridges with other Government organs.

“The value of the independence of the Bar and of the Judiciary, is another fervent desire. The need to act independently and with robustness, is deeply ingrained in our work ethic and our value systems, which we hold dear in the practice of our profession. Any infraction of this disturbs us, and makes us worthless.

“The Bar and the Judiciary will only be performing at less than their optimum, if this sense of independence is abandoned or removed from us. Without this, one of the vital cogs in the checks and balances imposed by the Constitution and the Law, malfunctions,” the BASL President said.