Win or lose: Ali Sabry or Ananda Lanerolle? 

A serious allegation has been levelled against Justice Minister Ali Sabry by Ananda Lanerolle, that the Minister had written a letter to the High Court Judge of Beddegama, asking for a favour in a case. Ananda had revealed this at a press conference held by Citizens’ Organisation for Democracy.  And now it is said that the Justice Minister has sent a letter of demand to Ananda Lenarolle asking for a compensation of Rs:1b for damaging his reputation by this false allegation (as reported in the Lankadeepa of 16 May). We quite often see this scenario in politics – allegations and letters of demand for compensation. And I do not know how many of them have got the reliefs. But false allegations continue to spread like wildfire. These days, the critical faculty of the common folk is so blunt that they simply accept whatever the politicians and their stooges  tell them at press conferences.What defies my logic in this allegation is Justice Minister Ali Sabry, a President Counsel  and a veteran lawyer by profession, writing a letter with his signature (a most authentic document) to a High Court judge asking for a favour in a case. No layman with an iota of common knowledge (not legal) will do it. Yet Lanerolle could not have made this allegation to the media without evidence either.  Who will eat humble pie, Ali Sabry or Ananda Lanerolle? 

M. A. KALEEL 
Kalmunai – 05