High Court cases to be put off

Attorney General Dappula de Liveira PC in a letter addressed to Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya PC requested him to cancel High Court sittings of the Colombo High Courts and other High Courts scheduled for April 2 and 3 and reschedule sittings when the environment is conducive to resume.  

The AG had requested him to take these measures considering the crisis that had been brought about by the spread of COVID-19.  “Having regard to the government health warnings and repeated consistent medical advise on social distancing and other precautions that need to be taken against the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, it would be most undesirable to expose officials of the Court, Lawyers, State Counsel, the Police and Judges to participate and appear in court proceedings which are due to take place to consider High Court bail applications mostly in serious drug cases, which at the moment stands over 100 where lawyers have filed motions for these matters to be taken up in court in the next two days, which fall outside the decision of the Committee appointed by the President,” the AG said in his letter.   

“At the present circumstances where the incidents of COVID-19 pandemic is on the rise in the country, I would kindly urge you to consider cancelling High Court sittings of the Colombo High Courts and other High Courts scheduled for April 2 and 3 and reschedule sittings when the environment is conducive to resume,” the AG said in his latter to the Chief Justice.