Health Secretary Dr. Anil Jasingha has requested IGP Priyantha Weerasooriya to ensure his security and take action against those issuing death threats.

Dr. Jasingha, in a letter to the IGP, has alleged that a health official who has been suspended from service is using several persons to issue such threats. The Health Secretary has specifically referred to a statement made by civil society activist Asela Sampath on a social media platform to the effect that he should procure a bullet proof vehicle.

The Island learns that the Health Secretary has sought the IGP’s intervention before the Health Service Committee (HSC) of the Public Service Commission (PSC) interdicted Dr. Bellana.

Among numerous other schemes, under its High Impact Community Development Projects (HICDPs) framework in Sri Lanka, the government of India (GoI) has been extending financial assistance to three housing-sector projects: Gram Shakthi Northern, Gram Shakthi Southern I and Gram Shakthi Southern II, under Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) signed in October 2017 and October 2018, the IHC said.

Text of the IHC statement: ” Under the provisions of the MoUs, GoI was releasing SLR 500,000 to low-income families selected by the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) for construction of houses under the owner-driven model in the Northern and Southern provinces. Due to price escalations in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, and its aftermath, as well as the economic challenges that arose in Sri Lanka in 2022, the projects’ beneficiaries found it difficult to complete the construction of their houses within the allocated assistance. Accordingly, based on request from GoSL, GoI agreed to double the financial support per house to SLR 1,000,000.

Diplomatic Letters to effect the revised assistance were exchanged by High Commissioner Santosh Jha and Secretary, Ministry of Housing Construction and Water Supply Eng. L.B. Kumudu Lal at a ceremony held at the High Commission of India on 30 December 2025. Over 1550 families will be benefitted by the revised assistance under the three projects.

‘Housing’ figures prominently among the numerous sectors in which people-centric development cooperation initiatives of India are bringing a positive impact in the everyday lives of the people of Sri Lanka. Close to 50,000 houses have been constructed and handed over under the flagship Indian Housing Project in the Northern and Eastern provinces and plantation regions of Sri Lanka. Construction of another 10,000 houses is underway as part of Phase IV of the project. Besides thethree Gram Shakthi projects to which financial support was revised upwards on 30 December, India is also implementing other HICDPs in the sector in Sri Lanka. These include the island-wide Model Village Project covering housing facilities for 24 low-income families in each of the 25 districts of the country; transit houses for pilgrims visiting the Madhu Shrine near Mannar; and the recently completed Ven. Shobhita Nahimigama project in Anuradhapura. Assistance to support construction of fully and partially damaged houses is also proposed under the USD 450 million reconstruction and recovery package for Sri Lanka announced by GoI in the wake of Cyclone Ditwah.”

The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) has protested against the way the NPP/JVP government promoted judicial officers (magistrates, district judges), judges of the High Court and the Court of Appeal.

The BASL, in a letter dated 29 December, 2025, to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, with copies to the Chairman and members of the Constitutional Council, Chief Justice, Justice Minister and Secretary Judicial Service Commission, has emphasised that promotions must continue to be made on the basis of seniority unless a specific demerit in respect of a particular judge or some other compelling circumstances.

The following is the text of the BASL letter:

“The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) wishes to draw Your Excellency’s attention to the process of promotions of Judicial Officers, Judges of the High Court and the Court of Appeal in our country.

Traditionally, promotions within the Judiciary have been granted on the basis of seniority. In the recent past however, there have been occasions where this principle has been departed from.

If seniority has been overlooked on the basis of merit, it is observed, presently there are no clear or established guidelines governing the assessment of merit in granting such promotions in the Judiciary. This absence of transparent criteria risks undermining the fairness and consistency of the process.

The BASL emphasizes the importance of a transparent and fair system in the granting of promotions and appointments in the Judiciary. Such a system is vital to maintaining public confidence in the Judiciary and ensuring that the administration of justice remains impartial and credible.

It is the considered view of the BASL that promotions must continue to be made on the basis of seniority, in keeping with the longstanding practice, until such time there are objective and defensible guidelines governing the assessment of merit.

Accordingly, Seniority may only be disregarded where there exists a specific and recognized demerit in respect of the particular Judge concerned or such other known compelling circumstances that are objectively identifiable. This approach will safeguard both the integrity of the Judiciary and the trust reposed in it by the public.

Accordingly, the BASL respectfully requests Your Excellency to take these considerations into account when deciding upon future promotions in the Judiciary.”