Thousand Other Deps
Former Chief Justice Priyasath Dep
The epic poet Homer in 8th Century BCE defined the Goddess of Justice Themis as “the organizer of the communal affairs of humans, particularly assemblies”. The facilitation of the assembly of people and their ideological discourse, platforming their aspirations and beliefs on justice were all viewed as the divine responsibilities of Themis, the Goddess of Justice.
Homer communicated to the reader, a sense of divinity associated with justice via the Goddess of Justice. Sir Moses Finley, poetically dissected Homer’s definition of the Goddess of Justice as follows:
“Themis is untranslatable. A gift of the gods and a mark of civilized existence, sometimes it means right custom, proper procedure, social order, and sometimes merely the will of the gods with little of the idea of right”.
Throughout civilization, divinity has been associated with justice. The law has been interpreted as an extension of gospel. The courts of law are considered the shrines of justice. Why so? This is because few other forces on earth has the shattering effect that injustice has on the human soul. What pains man, even more than injustice is the common belief in society that the quest for justice is a futile one. Even more painful is the realization that society was correct all along. But what is it that compels us to seek justice when our dual with injustice bleeds our souls and tears up our eyes in the dark?
I think what still ignites our quest for justice as Sri Lankan citizens is our indomitable belief in our judiciary. Although there are a few stray dogs, there remains beacons of respect for those who are not. It is easy to ride on the common rhetoric of “everything can be bought for money” and “judges are bought just like that!” belittling the system of justice in a simplistic manner. My belief is that the reality is more complex and more hopeful than that.
On Their Way Home!
In a recent controversial expose, attorney-at-law Sugandhika Fernando entered in to social dialogue about the corruption and impunity within the justice system in Sri Lanka. It attracted unprecedented response in the internet and in society. In the course of a few weeks the wave of consternation and her celebrity died down amidst insults and discrediting aimed at Fernando. I do believe that she spoke the truth; that the demons she presented were indeed demons. However, all lawyers and judges are not demons.
In her own words Eva Wanasundara was “called by Mahinda Rajapaksa on her way home to his office where she was sworn in as a judge of the Supreme Court and this may have been influenced by her association with him in Law College”. Former Chief Justice Sarath N Silva who abused the power of his office was found engaging in sexual intercourse on his way home near the Diyawanna. In another occasion he apologized to the nation for sending Mahinda Rajapaksa scot free when he should have imprisoned Rajapaksa for his involvement in the Helping Hambantota fraud.
