Justice Minister asks people not to lose faith in judiciary

By Saman Indrajith

Justice Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe told Parliament yesterday that judges and lawyers were perturbed by certain matters discussed during a debate in the House on Wednesday pertaining to issues raised by the Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe.

“I request the public not to lose faith in the judiciary. Similarly, I call on the members in the legal fraternity not to harbour any ill-feelings,” the Minister said, adding that there was no conflict between the legislature and the judiciary.

“The motion being debated here does not indicate any conflict between the judiciary and the legislature. Parliament made a decision setting aside the members’ political differences. We made this decision in accordance with the public opinion. This parliament has reflected the public opinion by reaching a consensus. There are different opinions about the interim order given by the court. This interim order is an isolated incident which does not cover the entire ambit of the judiciary. This is a matter that has been debated and argued within the circles of the legal fraternity for some time now. We must remember that every public body is bound to respect the public opinion,” Dr. Rajapskshe said.