News
Chief Justice visits Kandy court, revival of complex in progress
View(s):By Ranjith Padmasiri
Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena has suggested practical steps in reconstruction of cases in the wake of a large number of documents and case files being destroyed due to the flooding of the Kandy Court complex.
The Chief Justice who visited the Kandy Court premises has suggested that among the practical steps to be taken are prioritising cases involving fewer parties, utilising soft copies available with stenographers for records of admissions, and permitting the relevant parties, by mutual concurrence, to produce other relevant documents for inclusion in the case record.
The Chief Justice recognised the importance of accuracy in case records, noting the impact of such accuracy on the outcome.
During the visit, the Chief Justice noted the existence of approximately 3,000 pending cases, and the necessity of reconstructing those case records.
The Chief Justice also agreed to grant a one-week extension to the resumption of sittings, in recognition of the consistent effort undertaken by the Kandy Courts during the ongoing court vacation which ends tomorrow.
Deploying additional staff members and to acquire the requisite computer and network equipment was also highlighted in order to support the recovery process.
The Chief Justice expressed gratitude to the attendees for their cooperation and contributions in facilitating the reconstruction and reopening of the courts.
Meanwhile the clearing and identification of the damaged files and court records is still underway.
Among the documents damaged are original deeds, agreements reached between parties and original documents marked in cases.
One of the worst affected areas in the courts have been the District Court record rooms which are located in the basement of the building, while in close proximity of the courts complex a stream carrying water to the Mahaweli river runs through.
As a result of the overflowing of the Mahaweli river, located less than a kilometre away, the court premises were severely affected.
The lawyers’ offices, also located 100 metres away from the courts complex, were underwater. Several documents, computers and other equipment were damaged.
Lawyers said that if sufficient notice had been given about the opening of the Kotmale reservoir gates, measures could have been taken to save part of the files.
They pointed out that due to the declaration of a public holiday the chances of saving some part of files were reduced, as many of the files could have been moved to the upper floors of the court complex and the damage thus would have been minimised.
The upper floors of the building were not affected by the flooding.
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