Addressing a media briefing yesterday (19), the Minister revealed that Sri Lanka’s prisons currently house more than 39,000 inmates despite having capacity for only 10,000. He noted that the majority of inmates are remand prisoners, many of whom are being held on drug-related charges.
The Minister further stated that nearly one million civil and criminal cases are pending before courts across the country, significantly contributing to delays in the justice system. He pointed out that while developed countries maintain between 40 to 60 judges per one million population, Sri Lanka has only about 20 judges per one million, describing this shortage as a key reason for the mounting backlog.
Minister Nanayakkara said that when he assumed duties at the Ministry, there were over 4,400 vacancies, which have now been reduced to 4,130. Recruitment of essential staff, including secretaries and typists, is currently underway and is expected to be completed by March or April.
He also noted that Preethi Padman Surasena has introduced a paperless filing system (E-filing) in the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal under the Clean Sri Lanka project, with plans to digitize provincial courts as the next step.
Preparations are underway to open seven new courts in the coming weeks, including five at the Aluthkade court complex in Colombo and two in other areas, at the request of the Judicial Service Commission, in order to expedite case hearings.
The Minister further stated that the existing Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) will be repealed and replaced with new legislation aligned with international human rights standards and aimed at safeguarding individual freedoms. A period of public consultation has been declared until February 28, and he assured that no law detrimental to the public would be imposed by force.
The government has also taken a policy decision to establish a Director of Public Prosecutions to address the conflict arising from the dual role currently played by the State as both legal advisor and prosecuting authority. The basic draft for this proposal is expected to be prepared by April.
