The Hon. Jagath Vithana

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, with reduced time, I will be brief.

¶ 02 From Matugama in Kalutara District: the High Court there serves five Divisional Secretariats and five police areas—nearly 300,000 people—with one High Court. All suffer due to cramped premises adjoining a rest house, an auditorium, and St. Mary’s College—completely unsuitable. With the Government’s majority, please work with the Judicial Service Commission and the Minister of Justice to establish a new court complex. The Magistrate’s and District Courts have overwhelming caseloads; even speeding up will not suffice without facilities. There are not even basic amenities like toilets. Please inspect and provide remedies.

¶ 03 Kalutara Prison: mostly fed by Matugama courts. Capacity 800; currently about 2,800. I visited: two buildings are so unsafe prisoners were removed; if they collapse, there could be fatalities. Officers’ quarters are in deplorable condition; I table photographs and documents. I arranged, with approval, to provide ceiling and wall-mounted fans to the entire prison. Commissioner Udaya Kumara has separated under-25 inmates.

¶ 04 Children in probationary care are taken to court in the same prison buses alongside hardened criminals. Why does the National Child Protection Authority not have vehicles for transporting children? Overcrowding must be addressed urgently. Drug analysis reports for a gram or two take up to 18 months; how many will be added to remand in that time? Bail conditions—requiring blood relatives for surety, but spouses cannot sign for each other—keep many inside. Please visit and see; helping remandees is a greater merit than grand donations. Suspects are effectively punished for years before trial concludes. There are no basic sanitation facilities; prisoners sleep cramped like sardines. I will also personally assist where I can. I urge the Ministry and the Judicial Service Commission to act, with special focus on those under 18, and to remedy the unpleasant conditions at court premises.

¶ 05 Thank you.