Lawyers’ protest, a damp squib

Priyanka Kurugala

Despite attempts by a group of lawyers to scuttle the proceedings in courts, a vast majority functioned without any untoward incidents, sources said.

Provincial sources said courts in a majority of cities functioned without inconveniencing the public. “Many courts islandwide functioned as scheduled without any incidents despite attempts by a few to scuttle work,” the Sri Lanka Freedom Lawyers Association (SLFLA) said yesterday.

“The planned boycott of court work by a group of lawyers yesterday was a flop due to the majority not supporting them,” SLFLA members told the media.

The association also found fault with the writ order issued by the Supreme Court quashing the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) findings.

Addressing a press conference at the Mahaweli Centre in Colombo yesterday, SLFLA sources said the lawyers’ attempt to boycott was unsuccessful. The SLFLA said many NGOs are in the background of these incidents. “We request them not to damage the glory of the court,” they said. “This is the first time in world history a court issued a writ order against Parliament,” the sources said.