Judiciary should win the confidence of the masses: CJ

Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva yesterday said the Judiciary could function properly only if it won the confidence of the common man irrespective of racial, religious or language barriers.

Addressing a gathering after the ceremonial opening of the new Labour Tribunal Building at the Kaduwela Magistrates Court, Mr. Silva said since taking up office he initiated a series of programmes aimed at achieving these goals.

He said he faced several obstacles in the past in achieving these targets, but was happy that an efficient deputy minister and a dedicated team were now playing a crucial role in uplifting the image of the judiciary.

The Chief Justice said the Justice Ministry has now set up Courts in LTTE controlled and even the Tigers had begun to respect the judicial system by not attacking them he assured that the country’s majority or the judiciary would never act in an unfair manner towards the minority communities.

Mr. Silva also stressed the importance of learning the Tamil language especially by public servants since that knowledge would help avert unfortunate situations we face today.

Deputy Justice Minister V. Puthirasigamani told the gathering that he did not like the idea of classifying people as majority or minority.

“The majority in one country will be a minority in another country. Language should not be a barrier to the cordiality among all communities. I never depend on anyone to find solutions for the problems of the Tamils. I have always placed faith and respect on the judiciary and the chief justice in finding solutions to the problems of the Tamils,” he said.JSC Secretary Susantha de Silva and Kaduwela Bar Association President Susantha Wettasinghe were also among those who addressed the gathering. .