Additional Solicitor General Dileepa Peiris sounded the alarm, admitting he and his team fear even walking into court as chaos, intimidation, and social media theatrics replace due process. If justice requires bodyguards and barricades, what’s left of the rule of law?
Sri Lanka’s legal system has once again been dragged into the spotlight for all the wrong reasons, as Additional Solicitor General Dileepa Peiris openly confessed that even appearing in court has become an act of fear. Speaking on behalf of the Criminal Investigation Department during proceedings tied to the arrest of former President Ranil Wickremesinghe under the Public Property Act, Peiris laid bare the sheer collapse of courtroom decorum.
“Your Honor, I was interrupted during my presentation on the last court day. Interventions were made. The proceedings were videotaped and paraded across social media. I could not even bring my junior lawyer forward. This is unacceptable,” he told the magistrate.
The chaos didn’t stop inside the courtroom. Peiris revealed that after the case ended, he and his colleagues had to remain stuck in the court for over an hour due to the commotion erupting outside. “You must have felt the same way,” he reminded the judge. “If we have to come to court out of fear, it is a dangerous situation.”
His remarks cast a damning spotlight on the increasing hooliganism surrounding legal proceedings. According to Peiris, the court has now transformed from a temple of justice into a stage for intimidation, where mobs dictate the atmosphere and lawyers tiptoe through their duties. “Such acts are unacceptable. Hooliganism and violence cannot be allowed in the court premises. Therefore, I request you to use the sword in the hand of the Goddess of Justice,” he urged.
The unfolding drama underscores a grim reality: Sri Lanka’s courts are not just fighting legal battles, but also public perception wars, social media manipulation, and outright threats to safety. If those tasked with prosecuting high-profile corruption and abuse of state funds feel physically unsafe within court walls, the question arises—who exactly is running the justice system? The judges, or the mob outside?
