In a letter addressed to the Chief Justice, the Attorney General and the President of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka, a group of eight Lawyers, attached to the private and unofficial bar, who appeared on behalf of the aggrieved party in the Mahara Prison incident, namely the families of the 11 deceased prisoners, requested that a proper inquiry be conducted into the conduct of State Counsel Nishara Jayaratne, who appeared on behalf of the Attorney General, at the hearings of the inquest proceedings into the same.
They alleged that on 16 December, when the hearing of the case (number B/3118/2020), into the deaths of 11 prisoners at the Mahara Prison on 29 and 30 November was taken up at the Wattala/Welisara Magistrate’s Court, before Magistrate Buddhika Sri Ragala, Jayaratne had made a statement in open Court to the effect that “cases cannot conducted according to the whims and fancies of non-Governmental organisations.” They further alleged that she had queried whether they were actually appearing on behalf of the aggrieved party.
This, the signatories claimed, was against professional ethics and respect, and mala fide and made with malicious intent. These lawyers further claimed that this conduct violates the professional rights of those who appear on behalf of justice for victims and that such had caused them inconvenience. Further, they opined that such conduct causes a deleterious impact on the process of meting out justice.
They note that they had on 2 December, filed a motion in the particular Court seeking justice in connection with the same upon advice from the family members of the deceased.
The signatories to the letter are Senaka Perera, K.S. Ratnavale, Palitha Bandara, Namal Rajapaksha, Achala Seneviratne, Chula Ranjeewa Adikari, Thambiah Jeyaratnarajah and Luthuf Zainul.
CEYLON TODAY | Published: 2:00 AM Dec 18 2020
