Justice Minister Dr. Wijayadasa Rajapakshe yesterday took on the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) highlighting that its conduct does not qualify it to be a professional body.
The minister addressing the ceremonial inauguration of “National Law Week 2017” at the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) auditorium drew a comparison between the the BASL and the GMOA.
“At a time like this, when some of the professional bodies are holding patients who seek hospital treatment to ransom for their own selfish demands and privileges, the BASL is an exemplary professional body. The BASL is giving their fullest support to educate the people, to protect the rights of the people, thereby enhancing the quality of the people’s lives,” he said.
The minister made this comment in appreciation of the BASL initiative to provide free legal aid to the public during the National Law Week, a concept initiated by late Justice C.G. Weeramantry.
The minister pointed out ‘lack of independence of the judiciary’ and ‘delay in justice’ were the two main challenges the current Government had to confront with when it assumed duties two years back.
“We did steer clear the name and image of the judiciary. One cannot anymore say our judiciary is biased, but still the delay in justice is an issue we are facing. There is an increase of disposal of cases, and we are now engaged in law reforms to address the delay. We are also in the process of translating important Statutes to Tamil, and so far five Statutes including the Criminal Procedure Code, Civil Procedure Code and Penal Code have been completed,” Minister Rajapakshe said.
A booklet titled “Legal Handbook” containing basic knowledge of law in simple language was also launched at the event.
Chief Justice Piyasath Dep delivering his first speech at a formal gathering after assuming duties, pointed out the importance of raising awareness among the people on the country’s law. “To access the law, you must know the law. The income levels of the people should not be a factor that decides the level of access to legal advice,” he said.
BASL President Geoffrey Alagaratnam,Secretary Amal Randeniya, Attorney General Jayantha Jayasuriya and many others participated in the event presided by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.
Courtesy – Daily news
