BTF: The Mullaitivu District Judge Saravanarajah resigned from all his judicial posts and fled Sri Lanka on 23 September 2023, facing a threat to his life and pressure to change the judicial decisions he passed.
Judicial positions Judge Saravanarajah resigned are the Mullaitivu District Judge, the magistrate court judge, the family court Judge, the primary court Judge, the small claims court Judge, and the Juvenile court Judge.
Following Judge Saravanarajah’s steadfast judicial uprightness and refusal to give in to the unlawful demands of a higher-up, the police protection he was legally entitled to was scaled down, and the Sri Lankan military intelligence service began keeping him under surveillance.
The Attorney General called him to his office on 21 September 2023 and pressured him to change the judgements he had already given in the Kurunthurmalai case where an ancient Hindu temple was destroyed and in its place a Buddhist temple was built under the false pretext of archaeological discovery, in a way contradictory to truth.
Two legal actions appear to have been filed against Judge Saravanarajah by the Sri Lankan State under his name on the Kurunthurmalai Vihara Decision in the court of appeal.
These developments are evidence of impunity, lack of judicial independence, and undermining the security for judges in the North-East.
British Tamils Forum
