Government will abide by all court decisions, President says

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said the Government will abide by all decisions of the judiciary, stressing that there is no point in expecting him to act beyond rulings delivered by the courts.

Addressing the Badulla District Women’s Convention on Sunday, the President said the judiciary was the final authority on questions of law.

“There is no point in asking me for decisions beyond those given by the courts,” he said, adding that once the Supreme Court had delivered a ruling, demands for it to be overturned could not be accommodated without undermining the rule of law.

Dissanayake said institutions responsible for enforcing the law had been given the necessary authority to carry out their duties.

He said a country without equality before the law could not guarantee security for future generations and that the law should apply equally to everyone, including those who had previously believed they were beyond its reach.

The President also said the Government intended to eradicate narcotics trafficking and organised crime, which he alleged had previously flourished with political protection.

He said special operations conducted since October last year had resulted in the seizure of 2,484 kilograms of heroin, 3,301 kilograms of methamphetamine and 297 kilograms of cocaine.

Police also seized 93 T-56 assault rifles, 141 pistols and 105 revolvers during the period, he said.

Dissanayake said the education system also needed to be modernised to produce students capable of competing in the global labour market. More than 6,000 schools had already been provided with high-speed fibre connections, with further technological improvements planned, he said.

The President also reiterated that the Government would pursue investigations into the misuse of public property and corruption and would seek to strengthen national unity and religious harmony.

Dissanayake previously said that the rule of law should apply equally to politicians, officials and ordinary citizens and that public confidence in the justice system must be restored.