Several senior lawyers from the unofficial bar have declined an invitation to fill a vacancy in the Supreme Court, the Sunday Times understands.
At present, there are two vacancies in the Supreme Court. The name of Court of Appeal Justice Ratnapriya Gurusinghe has been recommended to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to fill one of the positions. However, Attorney General Parinda Ranasinghe has not been asked to nominate candidates from the Attorney General’s Department for either of the two vacancies.
According to legal sources, senior lawyers turned down the offer, citing the significant disparity between their current income and the comparatively lower salary they would receive as a Supreme Court Justice.
In terms of seniority, Court of Appeal Justice Dhammika Ganepola is next in line to fill the other vacancy. However, his name has not yet been forwarded to the Presidential Secretariat, the Sunday Times learns.
Sources also revealed that several senior officers from the Attorney General’s Department had been approached informally to gauge their willingness to take up the post, though none had responded positively.
Meanwhile, the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has announced that it will conclude its inquiry into Colombo High Court Judge Namal Balalle within six months. Judge Balalle was interdicted last week after being served a charge sheet containing 417 charges. The inquiry is being conducted by Supreme Court Justice Janak De Silva.
In a separate decision, the JSC has terminated the services of the Nochchiyagama Magistrate after finding her guilty in a disciplinary inquiry. This was her second inquiry, following a previous one where she had been issued an official warning.
The JSC has also taken measures to expedite inquiries into other interdicted judicial officers.
Furthermore, 106 judicial officers have been transferred, effective September 15. Newly recruited judicial officers have already been assigned to duty stations, with the JSC confident that this will ensure smooth judicial operations. Seventeen senior judicial officers were recently elevated to the post of High Court Judge, and the vacancies created by their promotions are currently being filled.
In a related development, the Law Students’ Union of Sri Lanka has written to Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena, requesting that their oath ceremony be held without delay.
The letter, sent through Sri Lanka Law College Principal Prasantha Lal De Alwis, requests that the ceremony be conducted at the temporary Supreme Court building while the main premises are under renovation. The union stressed that students have already qualified after passing their final examinations and are facing financial and other difficulties due to the delay.
