Judges Dress as Lawyer and Litigant to Secretly Observe Court Proceedings
Two SC Judges Secretly Visit Marawila Court, Interdict Magistrate on the Spot
Judges Dress as Lawyer and Litigant to Secretly Observe Court Proceedings
Magistrate Confronted in Chambers, Fails to Provide Justification
Immediate Interdiction Ordered, Acting Magistrate Appointed
In an unprecedented move, two senior Judges of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka, Justice Gamini Amarasekara and Justice Preethi Padman Surasena, carried out a surprise visit to the Marawila Magistrate’s Court on April 2, 2025, to secretly observe the conduct of a Magistrate who had been the subject of multiple complaints.
Disguised to avoid detection, Justice Surasena dressed casually to resemble a regular litigant, while Justice Amarasekara wore a Gown to appear as an Attorney-at-Law. They entered the courtroom separately and mingled with the public.
After observing the proceedings and gathering evidence, the Justices confronted the Magistrate in his chambers during the lunch break and, finding his explanations unsatisfactory, immediately placed him under interdiction.
This operation was prompted by numerous complaints received by the Judicial Service Commission over a period of time regarding the conduct of the Magistrate. These complaints had been reviewed on multiple occasions, and although the Magistrate had previously been warned by the Commission, concerns persisted.
Eventually, Justices Amarasekara and Surasena, both ex-officio members of the Commission, decided to personally assess the Magistrate’s behavior and performance in court.
On the morning of April 2, 2025, the Justices traveled separately in their private vehicles to Marawila, accompanied discreetly by their security details. The visit was deliberately kept secret and was not disclosed to anyone at the court. Upon arriving near the courthouse, the Justices stopped at a distance and proceeded to walk separately toward the premises. Justice Surasena, dressed in casual clothing, entered the courthouse unnoticed and took a seat near the holding area for remand prisoners. Justice Amarasekara, wearing a Gown, seated himself at the bar table. Both Justices had instructed their security teams to stay back and follow at a distance, ensuring their presence would not attract attention.
Inside the courtroom, their presence went largely unnoticed. Justice Surasena observed that a prison guard and a sub-inspector, both armed, were distracted by their mobile phones and were not paying attention to the prisoners in their custody or the proceedings in the courtroom.
At one point, a few lawyers recognized Justice Amarasekara. However, he casually responded that he was now retired and practicing as a lawyer, effectively deflecting their curiosity. Justice Surasena remained unidentified throughout, given his position at the rear of the courtroom.
The Justices observed the proceedings throughout the morning and made detailed notes regarding the Magistrate’s conduct and behavior. At approximately 12:15 PM, the Magistrate announced a lunch break and adjourned the court until 1:30 PM. Along with the others, the Justices exited the courtroom.
During the adjournment, the JSC Secretary, who had been instructed in advance to be present at the location, proceeded to the court registry and record room to locate and retrieve case records related to the complaints.
Simultaneously, the two Justices summoned the President and Secretary of the Marawila Bar Association. Both officials willingly and voluntarily provided details regarding the Magistrate’s conduct. Their statements and supporting materials were recorded and added to the gathered evidence.
At around 1:25 PM, just before the court was scheduled to resume, the two Justices entered the Magistrate’s chambers with the collected materials. They directly confronted the Magistrate and presented him with the evidence and allegations. The Magistrate was unable to provide any acceptable or convincing explanations. Given the seriousness of the information and his failure to justify his conduct, the Justices concluded that it was unsafe to allow him to continue performing his judicial duties.
Accordingly, they decided to interdict the Magistrate with immediate effect, pending further investigation. An acting Magistrate was swiftly appointed to preside over the rest of the day’s proceedings.
Following the interdiction, further investigations continued at the court premises under the supervision of the JSC Secretary, Hon. H. Sanjeewa Somarathne (High Court Judge), along with his assistant. These inquiries lasted until approximately 4:45 PM.
Notably, after the interdiction was announced, a significant volume of new information began to surface from both court staff and members of the legal community, further supporting the JSC’s decision.
[By The Editor in Chief]
