August 04, Colombo (LNW): A proposal has been made in Parliament seeking the appointment of a Parliamentary Select Committee to examine Sri Lanka’s growing backlog of court cases and recommend measures to accelerate the administration of justice.
According to figures presented by the Ministry of Justice, more than 1.1 million cases are currently pending before courts across the country, highlighting the increasing strain on the judicial system.
Several key factors have been identified as contributing to the delays, including a shortage of judges due to unfilled judicial vacancies, an inadequate number of legal officers at the Attorney General’s Department, and lengthy waits for reports from both the Government Analyst’s Department and the Government Valuation Department.
Justice and National Integration Minister Harshana Nanayakkara has also acknowledged in Parliament that the Attorney General’s Department is facing a significant workload, with the resulting delays having a direct impact on the progress of court proceedings and the overall efficiency of the justice system.
The issue has also been linked to severe prison overcrowding. Data released by the Department of Prisons shows that although Sri Lanka’s prison system is designed to accommodate around 10,000 inmates, the current prison population has exceeded 40,000. Of those in custody, approximately 75 per cent are suspects being held while awaiting the completion of legal proceedings.
In response, a request has been submitted for the establishment of a Parliamentary Select Committee under Standing Orders 100 to 110. The proposed committee would be tasked with identifying the underlying causes of the judicial case backlog, recommending short-, medium- and long-term reforms to improve the efficiency of the legal system, and proposing solutions to ease chronic overcrowding in the country’s prisons.
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