JSC tightens rules on unpaid leave for court staff amidst staff shortages

The Judicial Service Commission has issued a directive to all Judges, District Judges, Magistrates, the Registrar of the Supreme Court, and the Registrar of the Court of Appeal regarding the increasing number of unpaid leave applications from non-scheduled officers serving in courts, both domestically and abroad.

This communication, issued following instructions from the Secretary to the Ministry of Justice, highlights the challenges posed by the growing trend of non-scheduled officers seeking leave under the provisions of Public Administration Circulars No. 14/2022 (II), 14/2022 (III), and 14/2022 (IV).   

The Ministry has observed that this trend has led to operational difficulties in maintaining the smooth and uninterrupted functioning of judicial activities due to resulting staff shortages.   

According to the figures presented to the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Justice and National Integration of the Tenth Parliament in February this year, the judicial system is grappling with an astounding backlog of 1,131,818 cases.   

The Judicial Service Commission informed that judicial officers recommending leave under the aforementioned circulars must ensure that the existing staff can absorb and manage the workload during such periods.   

The Secretary of the JSC, Prasanna Alwis said that this measure aims to mitigate disruptions in judicial services and maintain efficiency within the court system.   

Furthermore, in order to streamline administrative procedures and allow sufficient time for evaluation, all applications for unpaid leave must be submitted to the Ministry of Justice and National Integration no later than two weeks prior to the proposed commencement of leave.