CJ to lay foundation stone for first court complex in NE

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 January 2003, 19:54 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Chief Justice, Mr.Sarath N.Silva, is to lay the foundation stone for a four-storied court complex in Trincomalee, Wednesday, legal sources said.

( L-R) Mr.Malika Amarasekara (project officer),Mr.Cyril Rupasinghe(procurement officer), Mr.Samantha Wijesundera( Project Engineer) and Attorney-at-Law Mr.R.Thirukuamaranathan, Secretary of the Trinco District Lawyers Association briefing the press regarding court construction projects under the IDA of the World bank in northeast..

This will be the first court complex to be constructed with the financial assistance of the International Development Association (IDA) of the World Bank in the North-East since the signing of the ceasefire agreement between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, legal sources said.

The proposed court complex which would house six courts- two high courts (one commercial high court), two magistrate's courts, a district court and a labour tribunal, is to be constructed at an estimated cost of around 71 million rupees within sixty four weeks' duration, said Mr. Samantha Wijesundera, Project Engineer of the Legal and Judicial Reforms Project of the Ministry of Justice, Law Reform and National Integration, speaking to local journalists Tuesday at the Trincomalee District Court office.

The second court complex at an estimated cost of 92 million rupees will be constructed in Jaffna town and the proposed Jaffna court complex is in the design stage. However, within six to nine months, the foundation stone will be laid for the proposed Jaffna project, said Mr. Wijesundera.

In the press briefing, arranged by the Trincomalee District Lawyers Association Secretary, Mr.R.Thirukumaranathan, Mr.Wijesundera added that the proposed Trincomalee court complex would be provided with modern facilities and that the Batticaloa court building is to be renovated at a cost of seven million rupees and the work is to be undertaken during the end of this year.

The present Trincomalee district court building in a dilapidated condition.

A complex for the International Centre for Law and Justice would be constructed in Colombo at an estimated cost of eighty million rupees with assistance of the IDA/World Bank. The aim of the International Centre for law and Justice is to train judges, lawyers and other court officials, according to Mr. Wijesundera.