Recommendation to set up 16 new High Courts, 21 DCs and 19 MCs

The Committee appointed to review demarcation of jurisdiction and to increase the number of Court houses including the high courts presented its report to the Minister of Justice M.U.M. Ali Sabry on Thursday (15) at the Superior Courts Complex.

The report of the committee headed by Justice Mahinda Samayawardhena, Judge of the Supreme Court, includes proposals for increasing the number of Courts to 125 by establishing 74 new Courts.

Accordingly, 16 High Courts, 21 District Courts, 19 Magistrate Courts and 18 Combined Courts are proposed to be established. The Committee also proposes to increase the number of Magistrates, District and High Court Judges by 112 and to expand the number of Court houses in other existing Courts, the Justice Ministry said.

The Judicial Zones had to be revised after the Committee had sought the views and suggestions of branch associations of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka and other interested parties throughout the country. The Committee has noted that the last amendment to jurisdiction was in 2010 and subsequent changes were made based on the gazette notification issued in 2010.

The other members who contributed to the Committee were Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Finance and Acting Registrar of Companies Dimal Arandara, Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Justice Piyumanthi Peiris, Additional Solicitor General Indika De Silva PC U.R. De Silva PC, Senior DIG Ajith Rohana, Advisor to the Civil Law Reform Committee of the Ministry of Justice Sanjeewa Dasanayake, Advisor to the Infrastructure Committee of the Ministry of Justice Shamith Fernando, High Court Judge M.K.A. Peiris, Mr. Amal Randeniya, Mr. Sanjaya Gamage, Mr. Nalin Silva, Co- Convener of the Committee Chandima Welikala and Co- Convener of the Committee Ruvini De Silva.