The Judicial Service Association of Sri Lanka (JSASL), the sole organisation representing all the District Court Judges and Magistrates in the country, today filed a contempt of court application in the Court of Appeal seeking an order to punish State Minister Sanath Nishantha for the offence of Contempt of Court.
The JSASL President, Magistrate Prasanna Alwis, and its Secretary, Additional District Judge Pasan Manoj Amarasena, filed this application, naming State Minister Sanath Nisantha as the respondent. The petitioners state that the Executive Committee of the JSASL had passed a Resolution on August 25, 2022, concerning the subject matter of this application.
The petitioners stated that on August 23, 2022, Sanath Nishantha, addressing a press conference held at the party headquarters of the SLPP, made a statement that amounted to a direct interference with the due and proper administration of justice.
The petitioners further state that the respondent is a suspect in a matter pending before the court and that several judicial orders have been made in the said proceedings concerning the respondent.
The petitioners are of the view that by the said statement, the State Minister has attempted to intimidate the Judiciary in general and attempt to influence future orders by the Courts.
The petitioners are further seeking an order to issue a rule on the respondent directing him to show cause as to why he should not be punished for contempt of court.
