Decisive Moment In The Defence Of An Independent Judiciary

By Asian Human Rights Commission -October 10, 2012 

On 7 October 2012 four persons attacked the Secretary to the Judicial Services Commission of Sri Lanka (JSC), Mr. Manjula Thilakaratne.  Thilakaratne is a senior high court judge. The Secretary, accompanied by his wife, had taken their son to drop him at the St. Thomas’ College gymnasium. After dropping his wife and son at the college, he parked his car. Since he had to wait for some time, the Secretary waited in his car reading a newspaper.

Suddenly Thilakaratne saw four persons stopping near his car. One of them had a stick that was about three-foot long and the other was armed with a pistol. The one with the stick walked towards the passenger side door of the car and the other three took position by the driver side. The three men ordered the Secretary to open the car’s door. But Thilakaratne refused.

Then they threatened to fire at him. The JAC Secretary opened the door. One of them asked Thilakaratne whether he was the boss (Lokka) at the JSC? Then without warning they started beating Thilakaratne on his face and tried to drag him out of the car.

Thilakaratne resisted them. Having realised that it would be difficult to pull Thilakaratne out of the car the men tried to push Thilakaratne into the passenger’s seat. At that moment Thilakaratne realised that the men were trying to abduct him. At this stage he shouted loudly.

On hearing his cry for help, some residents in the locality came out. Some three-wheeler drivers and others persons in the vicinity were also attracted to the noise.

At this stage the four assailants ran towards the road behind the car and Thilakaratne lost sight of them. Later the Thilakaratne was admitted to the hospital, and is receiving treatment for his injuries.

A sequence of events prior to this attack clearly suggests the reasons behind the attack and to those who might have instructed the four assailants.

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