The Judicial Service Association (JSA) has expressly opposed the proposal to appoint Deputy Secretary General of Parliament Tikiri Jayatilleke and another officer of the Attorney General’s department as High Court Judges.
The JSC said in a statement that it has learned that four names have been proposed to be appointed to the High Court, which include Tikiri Jayathilaka, currently serving as the Deputy Secretary General of Parliament, and another officer from the Attorney General’s Department.
It said Tikiri Jayathilaka previously served as a magistrate since 2006 until he resigned to take over his appointment as an assistant secretary general of parliament. His request to be assigned to the Parliament staff as a secondment was refused by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) for apparent reasons. Hence, the JSA views this as a disqualification for him to take up a judicial appointment yet again after his exposure to non-legal institutions. They also point out that the officer of the AG’s department is a very junior officer to the judicial officers in line for such appointments.
