Matara addl. magistrate ‘naked with thieves’

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Created On Thursday, 12 December 2013 02:00

Category: General

A sorry reversal of judgement by Matara additional magistrate Manjula Karunaratne took place today (11) in which he said he had taken a decision at the previous hearing by mistake. 

He had reversed his ‘mistake’ when he took up the case against Sirasa Media Network chief Killy Maharaja, against whom notice had been issued to appear in court.

UNP communication unit chief and MP Mangala Samaraweera had filed the case under clause 81 of the criminal procedure code. At its first hearing, the additional magistrate seemed satisfied with the submissions made by the lawyers for the petitioner and issued notice on the Sirasa Media Network chief to appear in court today.

Last week, the respondent’s lawyers filed a motion and got the matter taken up, at which the additional magistrate recalled the notice issued by him. When the case was heard today, the additional magistrate listened to submissions by the two parties, left for his chamber, returned about an hour later, and dismissed the case.

During that one hour period, the additional magistrate Karunaratne had telephoned chief justice Mohan Peiris, who had rebuked him and ordered him to dismiss the case immediately. Last week, Rienzie Arsecularatne, the respondent’s lawyer, met the additional magistrate at his chamber and tried to pressurize him, but was ordered to leave. Colombo lawyers nickname President’s Counsel Arsecularatne as ‘Deal Captain’ as what he mostly does is entering into deals with police and judges, instead of making a case on behalf of his clients.

Failing once, he had gone to the defence secretary and got him to use the chief justice to pressurize the Matara additional magistrate to dismiss the case. Such an incident taking place is no surprise in a country in which the chief justice addresses the defence secretary as ‘Sir’, a veteran legal professional told us.