தவறவிடாதீர்கள்..!உடனே பதிவு செய்யுங்கள்

BY M. MANOCHITRA

Member of Parliament for the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Ajith P. Perera announced that the joint opposition will table a no-confidence motion against Minister of Justice, Constitutional Reforms, and Prison Reforms Harshana Nanayakkara as soon as Speaker Jagath Wickremaratne returns to Colombo next week. The opposition will request that the motion be prioritized and taken up for an urgent parliamentary debate. Speaking at a press conference in Colombo on Friday, the MP asserted that the Minister has completely failed in administering the judiciary, constitutional drafting, and prison management. He pointed out that during his two-year tenure, the Minister took no steps to reform the Attorney General's Department or the Government Analyst's Department.

Currently, the Government Analyst's Department takes up to a year and a half to analyze a single forensic sample, resulting in a backlog of over 15,000 untested samples. Consequently, nearly 15,000 individuals legally eligible for bail remain unnecessarily imprisoned. The MP noted that although legislative drafts to rectify these systemic issues were prepared months ago, the Minister failed to table them in Parliament.

Furthermore, the MP criticized the Minister's weak handling of recent prison unrest. Following an initial riot that left two dead and over 20 injured, the Minister failed to restore order or coordinate effectively with security forces and the courts. This negligence led directly to a second, more severe riot in which 10 innocent prison officers and several inmates lost their lives-marking one of the worst instances of loss of life and property in recent prison history.

Despite deaths occurring on Sunday, the Minister remained passive and failed to take any decisive action until Monday. The opposition maintains that Minister Harshana Nanayakkara must accept absolute responsibility for this disaster, and has mobilized to demand accountability to ensure justice for victims, suspects, and legal practitioners alike.