10th Parliament· 154 sittings on record · 30,475 speeches · latest 10 June 2026

The Hon. Harshana Nanayakkara, Attorney-at-Law

Jathika Jana balawegaya· Colombo· 19 February 2026 ·Debate: Debate (continued): Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Bill and Judicature (Amendment) Bill

Law & OrderJustice & Human Rights
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Hon. Harshana Nanayakkara stated that, under the Code of Criminal Procedure, daily trials are the norm and are necessary to expedite cases, particularly the Easter attack cases involving 23,000 charges, which could otherwise take eight to ten years if heard monthly. He said the court is open but located outside the main Hulftsdorp complex due to space constraints, with efforts to move matters into the complex as facilities improve. He declined to comment on judicial promotions, noting that they fall under the Judicial Service Commission.

Verbatim record (translated)

Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, Hon. Dayasiri Jayasekara made several requests. Under the Code of Criminal Procedure, daily trial is the norm and postponements the exception. We promised the people to hear cases expeditiously. In the Easter attack cases, there are 23,000 charges; if heard month to month, completion would take eight to ten years. Hence, daily trial is necessary. I accept it is an open court, but it is outside the main Hulftsdorp complex due to building constraints. We will, as far as possible, move matters into the complex as facilities improve, but not every case can be heard there.

¶ 02 As for other matters, I have no clarifications to add now. Promotions of judges lie within the remit of the Judicial Service Commission, so I will not comment on that.

Provenance

Source
Hansard, Thursday, 19 February 2026 ·No. 23328 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. Harshana Nanayakkara, Attorney-at-Law. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 19 February 2026. No. 23328. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/30459