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Refurbished Supreme Court complex to become best in region: CJ
View(s):By Ranjith Padmasiri
Sri Lanka’s newly refurbished Supreme Court complex will shortly be turned into one “which will not be second to any other court system in the region,” Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena said.
Speaking during the ceremony held recently to hand over the refurbished Supreme Court complex at Hulftsdorp, CJ Surasena noted that the Supreme Court came back to this iconic building on January 26 this year and resumed its operation of dispute resolution in a manner much more vigorous than before.
Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya hands over the symbolic key of the Supreme Court Complex to Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena. Also in the picture are Chinese Ambassador Qi Zhenhong and Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara.
He reminded that the present court complex was built by the People’s Republic of China, with construction commencing on February 4, 1985 and the complex being handed over to the then Chief Justice Parinda Ranasinghe by then President J R Jayewardene on September 17, 1988. This Courts Complex which also included the apex court of the country continued to dispense justice to the people of all walks of life since that time up until the end of the last term of 2025.
“We started shifting the Supreme Court to the nearby MCC building temporarily to allow the refurbish work to take place in this building for one year. We did not stop work, we commenced sitting in the SC in MCC building from 15th January 2025. During the one year period the Chinese Engineers relentlessly worked hard to keep up to the time limits they promised and indeed they did what they promised,” he noted.
“Although it was initially thought that SC would have to declare another vacation of two weeks for shifting, with the dedication and skills of the staff of the SC we were successful in not disturbing the court sittings even one day,” he further remarked. The SC sat every day as vigorous as it was on any other day while the other staff engaged in shifting wearing denims and T shirts, the CJ said, thanking all those who shouldered this task relentlessly, taking as it is their own house that was being shifted, and dedicated to put all lawyers, litigants and everyone who comes pleading for justice comfortable and at ease.
“Now we have come back to our own glorious building with modernised court rooms and other paraphernalia. We are also getting ready to hear the cases on the computer without physical briefs. We will shortly turn this complex into one which will not be second to any other court system in the region. Signs of that have already started showing,” said Justice Surasena.
Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya, Chinese Ambassador Qi Zhenhong, Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara and Attorney General Parinda Ranasinghe were among those present on the occasion.
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