News
AG stresses judiciary should be free from other branches of Govt. and private and partisan interests

Declaring that courts must necessarily occupy a high position of power, privilege and independence in the life of a nation, Attorney General Dappula De Livera, PC, yesterday (20) emphasised that judges in the exercise of judicial functions should be immune from external control and influence and intimidation.
The AG said so at the ceremonial sitting of the Supreme Court to welcome Justice Dileep Nawaz, Ladyship Justice Kumudini Wickramasinghe and Justice Shiran Gooneratne.
The following is the text of the AG’s speech: I am constrained by time but I shall not waste a minute. My Lords and My Lady you commenced your legal careers and were moulded in the Attorney General’s Department and after long and faithful service to the Institution of the Attorney General finally adorned the Bench and embarked on a career in the Judiciary which has now already spanned several years.
There is no doubt that Your Ladyship and Lordships are well equipped and experienced to undertake the responsibilities and discharge the functions of this onerous and exalted office. I have also no doubt that today, must be a very satisfying and memorable day for your Lordships and Ladyship. A sense of achievement and accomplishment no doubt.
It would also be a time and a day to look back and reflect on the past and take stock of that long journey and reaffirm your commitment to overcome challengers and uphold the Rule of law meting out good quality justice to the yearning men, women and children of this country.
In Sri Lanka the courts have quite justly come to be regarded as the sentinel over the powers of the legislature and the executive in order to safeguard the rights of the citizen under the law and the constitution.
The credibility of a judicial system in a country is dependent on the Judges who man it. Judges must be persons of impeccable integrity and unimpeachable independence. A Judge must discharge his judicial functions with high integrity, impartially and intellectual honesty. Speaking of intellectual honesty; the law would be like a ball of clay in the hands of an erudite Judge. Therefore, Judges should be ruthlessly honest, independent, and impartial and possess a judicial conscience to ensure that the ball of clay is molded according to law.
For over 2000 years of the island’s long history, the Courts of Law have occupied a unique place in the system of government. Public acceptance of the judiciary and public confidence in the judiciary is necessary for the rule of law to prevail in the country. Public confidence in the judiciary is dependent on the independence and integrity of the judiciary.
The sovereignty is in the people and is alienable and that sovereignty of the people is exercised by the judiciary in the public trust. The independence and the integrity of the judiciary ought to be preserved for justice and the rule of law to prevail in a society. A judiciary should not only be independent but appear to be independent in order to gain the confident of the people.
An independent judiciary is the corner stone the prevalence of the Rule of Law in a democratic society.
The essence of rule of law has been said to be that the Administration is bound by the law and that in it cannot interfere with the rights of the individual except in accordance with the law.
The International Congress of Jurists meeting in New Delhi in January 1959 concluded “that an independent judiciary is an indispensable requisite for a free society and for the Rule of Law to prevail in a society.
The independence and impartially of the judiciary is essential for a democratic system of government to function under the Rule of Law.
The maintenance of the independence of Judges and of the quality of the administration of justice would largely depend on the Judges themselves and the state of public opinion of the country, which demands their independence and impartially.
Within the limits of their power and jurisdiction the courts are required to perform a dynamic role as the fearless upholders of the principle of equal justice under the Rule of Law.
“Not all the guns of the Garrison leveled at their lordships would intimidate the Court” said Chief Justice Carrington in 1804 to General Wemyss who was brought up on a charge of contempt of court and had appeared with his staff wearing sidearms and bayonets.
In 1937 Chief Justice Abhrams questioned the deportation order of Mark Anthony Bracegirdle and said “the crown takes its stand upon what it submits are the unquestionable absolute powers of the governor and it is our duty to say that those powers are limited”. The governor’s order was made without Authority. The arrest and detention was illegal and Mr. Bracegirdle must be released”.
The Courts must necessarily occupy a high position of power, privilege and independence in the life of a nation.
The Judges in the exercise of judicial functions should be immune from outside control and influence and intimidation.
That independence is also necessary from the other branches of government and from private and partisan interest.
Judges should be above suspicion and should not leave even a glimpse for that suspicion to occur.
When Pompeia the wife of Julius Caesar secretly sneaked a man dressed as a woman into a Roman religious ceremony, her husband divorced her.
It was a girly prank. But the discovery of the man celebrating the mysteries of Bona Dea in the male free temple scandalised Ancient Romans and led to rumours that Pompeia is having an affair. Pompeia hadn’t committed adultery but it didn’t wash with Ceasar who kicked her to touch and insisted that his wife must be above suspicion.
Judges like Ceasar’s wife must also be above suspicion and the fundamental principle is that there should not be even a hint of bias or prejudice in the judicial process as is as vital today as it was 118 years ago when Lord Bowen famously compared judges to Ceasar’s wife.
The people will be judging you when you are judging them therefore that accountability and transparency ought to be seen and perceived from the judgments, pronouncements and orders that are delivered by the Courts.
Judge Ralph Mac Allister on the occasion of taking oaths as a Judge, State of Ohio, in December 1976, prayed for the Court as follows; He prayed that the Court always function with honour and integrity. That its pronouncements always be just. That its proceedings be conducted impartially. And finally that all its actions preserved the Peace and Dignity, the Rights and Prerogatives and the freedom and morality of all the people. That is my prayer too for this country.
Latest News
Vraie Cally Balthazaar elected Mayor of Colombo MC

National People’s Power (NPP) councilor Vraie Cally Balthazaar has been elected as the new Mayor of the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC).
Councilor Balthazaar received 61 votes while Riza Zarook of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya obtained 54 votes at the election.
News
Numerous Clean Sri Lanka initiatives were implemented in Anuradhapura during Poson week

Aligned with the 2025 National Poson Festival, the Clean Sri Lanka Secretariat spearheaded several environmentally conscious initiatives during Poson Week, including maintaining cleanliness in areas surrounding the Atamasthana (Eight Sacred Places). Key waste management measures included the establishment of permanent, covered enclosures for biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste receptacles near the Atamasthana and Mihintale. Dedicated plastic bottle collection bins were strategically placed alongside general waste bins and in collaboration with Ceypetco, discarded barrels were repurposed as waste containers.
Significant support came from sponsors including the Irrigation Department, ARPICO, Rambewa Mechanical Engineering Works, the Cargills and Keells Group (for plastic containers), Coca-Cola Beverages Sri Lanka (for plastic collection bins), and Ceypetco and the Sri Lanka Army (for waste bins).
Additional safety and awareness initiatives included placing waste bins near bathing areas and bridges adjacent to major reservoirs (Tissa Wewa, Basawakkulama Wewa, Nuwara Wewa, Mahakanadarawa Wewa, Nachchaduwa Wewa, Bulankulama Wewa and Kunchikulama Wewa) to reduce littering. Warning signs were installed at hazardous locations and lifesaving personnel and naval craft were deployed during the Poson Week.
Waste bins for bridge areas were supplied by Phoenix Industries and ARPICO, while informational signage around the Sacred City was sponsored by AIA, Ceylinco and Sri Lanka Insurance. Overall coordination was managed by the Anuradhapura Municipal Commissioner.
A Clean Sri Lanka coordination centre established within the Poson Zone facilitated awareness programmes for schoolchildren and the general public on themes such as environmental stewardship and intergenerational responsibility. These efforts involved Provincial and District Secretaries and institutions including the Post-Harvest Technology Institute. Additional programmes were held targeting public officials and citizens focused on national food security, financial literacy and ethical public service.
Environmental sustainability projects carried out during the week included canal cleaning in collaboration with the Irrigation Department, Provincial Irrigation Department and the Department of Agrarian Development and a tree-planting initiative titled “Environmental Security” in partnership with the Forest Conservation Department and school communities.
Personality development and leadership workshops were also conducted. A full-day session was held on 7 June 2025 at St. Thomas’ College, Anuradhapura (7:30 AM to 7:30 PM), sponsored by Perera & Sons, the Anuradhapura Lions Club and the Dream Force Sri Lanka Society. Similar workshops were conducted at Maithripala Senanayake Vidyalaya and Swarnamali Balika Vidyalaya.
On 11 June 2025, a morning awareness session for rural farmers was held, covering Post-Harvest Technology (presented by C.R. Gunawardana, National Post-Harvest Management Institute) and Financial Management (presented by Duminda Disanayake, Central Bank of Sri Lanka), featuring a special address by MP Susantha Kumara Navaratne.
On the morning of 12 June 2025, the Clean Sri Lanka Secretariat and the Anuradhapura Municipal Council jointly conducted a waste removal drive at the Basawakkulama Wewa tank bund, extracting plastic, polythene and other refuse. Participants included venerable monks from the Sri Lanka Bhikkhu University Bhikkhu Student Association, Anuradhapura Mayor N. Karunaratne, the Association President and lay devotees. That afternoon, the Secretariat’s Music Therapy programme began at the Surapura Open Air Theatre, Anuradhapura, attended by over a thousand personnel from the armed forces, police, Civil Security Department and state institutions.
A special lecture was also delivered by Clinical Psychologist Dr. Madhura Gunawardana.
[PMD]
News
Workshop on the use of AI to enhance the efficiency and productivity of the public service

A special workshop on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to transform the public service into a more productive and efficient entity was held on Sunday (15) at Temple Trees.
Titled “AI for Transforming Public Service,” the workshop was attended by officials of the Presidential Secretariat. It aimed to serve as an initial orientation for a major government initiative, the digitalization of the public service, by raising awareness and preparing officials, while also fostering a positive perception of artificial intelligence within the public sector.
Dr. Hans Wijesuriya, Senior Advisor to the President on the Digital Economy, delivered the keynote address. Sanjaya Karunaseena, Executive Director of the Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) of Sri Lanka, also presented a brief address. Subsequently, Harsha Purasinghe and Samisa Abeysinghe, board members of ICTA, conducted awareness sessions incorporating practical demonstrations.
The event was also attended by the Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Senior Additional Secretary to the President Roshan Gamage and several other senior officials from the Presidential Secretariat.
-
Features4 days ago
They came, they won, they returned to Jaffna isles
-
News6 days ago
UK confirms ongoing war crimes investigation into British mercenaries in Sri Lanka
-
News4 days ago
ITAK candidate elected B’caloa Mayor as NPP seeks alliance with Pillayan
-
Features7 days ago
From economic accountability to war-time accountability
-
Features7 days ago
Singing Chef’s daughter… in the spotlight again
-
Opinion5 days ago
Prof. Dissanayake honoured for oustanding contribution to Sinhala literature
-
Editorial7 days ago
Poya pardon controversy
-
Opinion7 days ago
Celebrating Arrival of Buddhism in Sri Lanka