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Politicians and public officials come and go but national policies must continue: Justice Kodagoda
View(s):By Ranjith Padmasiri
Public officials should take care to not simply put down a decision in writing, but to also clearly include all prevailing facts that compelled them to arrive at that decision and insert it into the relevant folder, Supreme Court Justice Yasantha Kodagoda stressed.
Justice Kodagoda added that public officials would not become victims of crime if they performed their duties honestly, independently, carefully, in good conscience and in accordance with the law and principles of the constitution. He insisted that it is always possible for public officials to perform their duties in an efficient manner without obstructing their work, rather than deliberately working slowly with the sole intention of not getting caught up in incidents of wrongdoing.
Justice Kodagoda made these remarks while speaking at the launch of the book “Paripaalana Neethiya Saha Raajya Sewaya” by Secretary to the Ministry of Plantation and Community Infrastructure Prabath Chandrakeerthi. He was responding to an earlier comment made by former President’s Secretary Udaya R. Seneviratne during his speech, where he referred to the situation that arose during the conferring of a presidential pardon on a convict who had been sentenced to death. The Justice emphasised that while public officials must obey the political executive or their policies, they must fulfill their responsibilities in accordance with the principles of the laws passed by Parliament.
He further elaborated that when analysing such a matter before it, the court is not looking at who had been pardoned, but whether the process of granting them a pardon had followed principles of the law and due process.
The Justice further emphasised the importance of working according to a national policy, noting that such a policy should continue even as politicians and public officials come and go.
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