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BASL wants action against two judges and JSC secretary
In a letter addressed to the Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva, Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) president Desmond Fernando urged the Judicial Services Commission (JSC) to take action against an Additional District Judge and a Magistrate and requested the removal of the Secretary to the JSC.
The letter was despatched after a decision was taken at the Bar Council last week about what practitioners called the unacceptable behaviour of the judges.

One such matter brought to light was the problem in the District Court of Matara where the Additional District Judge R. Godawela is alleged to have rudely ordered J. Suraweera, a senior practitioner to leave the court premises.
“The situation is such that three senior practitioners do not practice in Mr. Godawela’s Court due to his lack of judicial temperament and conventional courtesy. It was the view of the Council that he should cease to function in Matara as soon as possible,” the letter said.

Another instance was where the Minuwangoda Judge Mr. Morawaka had requested Mr. Upali Goonaratne, a past president of the Bar Association and a practitioner with over 30 years experience, not to place his hand on the Registrar’s table while addressing Court.

Here too the Council urged the Commission that suitable action be taken against the Magistrate and that he should cease to function in Minuwangoda.
The Bar Council appointed a three-member committee headed by one-time Chief Justice Parinda Ranasinghe to draw up a Code of Conduct for judges.
The Bar Council also took up the matter as to why Mr. P. W. D. C. Jayatilleke was continuing to function as Secretary to the Commission and requested the Commission to take early action regarding the appointment of a suitable senior judicial officer as its Secretary.

Meanwhile, the Matara Law Society wrote to The Sunday Times this week referring to a news item appearing in the late city edition of September 25 which referred to a similar incident in the Matara Magistrate’s Court, stating that no such incident occurred in the Matara Magistrate’s Court. The incident appears to have taken place in the Matara Additional District Court.

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