Launch of two volumes of the monumental complete digest of case law 

A vision becomes reality

The first two volumes were launched by the Kandy Bar Association. The first copy was presented to Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva on November 7 at his official residence. 

The Chief Justice addressing the gathering stated that "this compilation is indeed the result of tireless and conscientious endeavour on the part of Mr. M.S.M. Hussain. He has worked diligently for a period of seven years to give the legal community of Sri Lanka the most comprehensive digest of case law, the like of which has never been published in this country. It is intended that this digest would ultimately form part of the database of Sri Lanka Law Net and be accessible on line. I would in conclusion commend Mr. Hussain once again for the much-valued endeavour in bridging a strongly felt gap in the legal material of this country." 

The book was introduced by Dr. Mario Gomez who stated that the digest is not a mere compilation of the digests of the law reports. He said Mr. Hussain had taken great pains in analyzing the decisions and arranging them under appropriate sub headings for easy access. 

Judge C.G. Weeramantry, LL.D (London) former Vice President and presently ad hoc Judge of the International Court of Justice and former Justice of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka states in the Introduction "Mr. M.S.M. Hussain's monumental digest of the case law of Sri Lanka, supplies a long felt need. Mr. Hussain's project covers a much wider range of judicial decisions than any of the previous works. Mr. Hussain's vision in putting this collection together and the dedication he has shown in bringing this ambitious project to completion will be applauded by all members of the legal profession and by the judiciary. I look forward to the greater use by the Judges and practitioners of the future of the rich repository of case law, which we in Sri Lanka have been privileged to inherit. Once all the decisions are more readily accessible through such endeavours as those of Mr. Hussain, legal scholarship in this country will also receive an impetus. There would thus be a tendency not only for the better and more purposeful development of the law but also for greater uniformity of judicial decision-making. 

President, Bar Association of Sri Lanka, Mr. Upali Guneratne in a message states, "the vast variety of law reports and the extent of the period covered make Mr. Hussain's Digest the most comprehensive work of that nature ever to be undertaken in this jurisdiction." 

In 1942, the editor of the Ceylon Law Recorder wrote (Vol. xx Part vii, No. 262), "the key to the absence for consolidated set of reports and of a proper Index or Digest lies in the cost which an undertaking of such nature must necessarily involve. It cannot be hoped that the work would be undertaken as a private enterprise". 

Mr. Hussain has stated in the preface to the book, "everyone has an obligation to contribute something towards the advancement of the institution to which he has committed himself. I have opted to dedicate myself to supplying a complete digest of the case law of Sri Lanka in a well-organized fashion, with accuracy and ease of reference. To do so I had to embark on comprehensive research into our case law from the inception of the Supreme Court to the present, incorporating the results into a suitably edited and structured complete digest of the case law of Sri Lanka. " 

Mr. Hussain took oaths as an Attorney-at-Law in 1978. He commenced his practice mainly in courts of civil as well as criminal jurisdiction in Kandy. Later he began his practice as counsel in Kandy and the suburbs. 

While in practice he served as Chairman of the Agrarian Boards of Review for the Central Province and North-Western Province. Currently he serves as a member of the editorial board of the Legal Information Network (LAWNET) under the Legal and Judicial Reforms Project of the Ministry of Justice, in an honorary capacity. 

Mr. Hussain obtained his Master in Laws degree in 1998 from Colombo University, and is currently working towards the M.Phil./Ph.D. in the Colombo University. In this regard, the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies of University of London has awarded him the status of Visiting Researcher. His research topic is 'Public Interest Litigation'. 

He has also published The Law Relating to Provincial Councils (in Sinhala) and Consolidated Digest of the Law Reports (1978- 1990) in two volumes. 

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