News
Shocking number of child abuse and rape cases overwhelm Lanka’s Magistrates’ Courts
Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe last week revealed a distressing truth that nearly one-third of the cases awaiting resolution in Magistrates’ courts throughout the country involve child abuse and rape. Expressing deep concern, the Minister urged Sri Lankans to feel a sense of shame and regret over this alarming situation that tarnishes the nation’s reputation.
Out of the 29,723 lawsuits currently pending before the Magistrates’ Courts, a staggering 5,550 cases relate to child abuse, while 4,312 cases involve rape. Shockingly, these horrific offenses collectively account for 33 percent of the total cases. Minister Rajapakshe emphasized the need for immediate action to combat these wrongdoings, which not only inflict harm on victims but also reflect poorly on the cultural values of the nation, as they are exposed to the scrutiny of other countries.
Minister Rajapakshe underscored the government’s efforts to protect children, stating that 25 laws aimed at ensuring their safety had been enacted by Parliament in the past ten months. However, he also acknowledged that cases of murder, attempted murder, and dangerous drugs constitute a significant portion of the pending cases, totaling 6,661, or roughly 22 percent of the total.
Disturbingly, the Minister revealed that child abuse, rape, murder, attempted murder, and dangerous drugs cases collectively make up 55 percent of the total cases before the Magistrates’ Courts, further highlighting the urgent need to address these grave issues.
Furthermore, the Minister drew attention to the staggering backlog in the judicial system, with a total of 1,127,265 cases pending across Sri Lanka. He expressed concern over the insufficient number of judges available to handle this overwhelming caseload, with a mere 399 judges assigned from the Supreme Court to the Magistrates’ Courts.
The Minister’s revelations have sparked outrage and concern among the public, signaling the pressing need for comprehensive and effective measures to combat child abuse, rape, and other serious crimes. It is imperative for the government, law enforcement agencies, and society as a whole to join forces to protect the vulnerable and ensure justice for the victims. Immediate action must be taken to strengthen laws, increase resources, and promote awareness to create a safer environment for all Sri Lankans, free from the specter of such heinous offenses.
By AJA Abeynayake
The Attorney General informed the Supreme Court on Thursday (27) that Rs. 245 million from the funds obtained from the respondents, as per the verdict delivered on 12 January 2023 by a seven-judge bench led by the Chief Justice, had been paid as compensation to the victims of the Easter Sunday attacks. The case stemmed from fundamental rights petitions filed against the respondents’ failure to prevent the coordinated attacks. To monitor the disbursement of these funds, 13 related fundamental rights petitions were taken up on Thursday before a three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice Murdu Fernando, Justices S. Thurairaja, and A.H.M.D. Nawaz. Representing the Attorney General, Additional Solicitor General Viveka Siriwardena informed the court that Rs. 311 million had been allocated for compensation, of which Rs. 245 million had already been distributed among 412 individuals, including the families of 215 deceased victims.
She further stated that Rs. 65 million from the allocated funds was expected to be used for victims’ medical treatment and for the care of affected elderly individuals.
President’s Counsel Shamil Perera and Sanjeeva Jayawardena, appearing on behalf of Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, Archbishop of Colombo, and the Bar Association of Sri Lanka, respectively, told the court that they had not yet received detailed reports on the compensation payments.
Chief Justice Fernando asked the Additional Solicitor General why those reports had not been provided to the relevant parties. The Additional Solicitor General responded that the proceedings were focused on monitoring the disbursement of compensation to victims.
The Chief Justice, however, noted that withholding those reports from the petitioners did not align with the objectives of the case. She ordered that the reports be immediately provided to the Cardinal and the other petitioners.The court scheduled the next hearing of the petitions for 21 May.
…. Gnanakka also received Rs. 28 mn
Chief Government Whip Minister Nalinda Jayathissa said on Thursday that the Ranil Wickremesinghe government had spent an additional Rs. 1,125 million as compensation for individuals whose houses were destroyed in 2022.
That was in addition to the Rs. 1,221 million paid to politicians as compensation, Minister Jayatissa said, revealing that an astrologer called Gnanakka from Anuradhapura had received Rs. 28 million in compensation for her Devalaya destroyed by mobs in 2022. (SI)
By Saman Indrajith
During yesterday’s parliamentary session, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya disclosed the expenditure incurred by the state on foreign trips undertaken by Sri Lanka’s Presidents.
Mahinda Rajapaksa’s foreign trips between 2010 and 2014 cost Rs 3,572 million. His successor, Maithripala Sirisena spent Rs 384 million on overseas travel from 2015 to 2019. Gotabaya Rajapaksa spent Rs. 126 million from 2019 to 2022, while President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s foreign travel between 2023 and 2024 cost the state Rs 533 million.
In contrast, the current president, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, had spent only Rs 1.8 million on foreign travel since assuming office in September 2024, the PM said.
The Prime Minister highlighted that the most expensive year for presidential foreign travel during that period was 2013, when Mahinda Rajapaksa’s trips alone amounted to an unprecedented Rs 1,144 million.
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