• Min. of Justice of the view MP Hemachandra’s statements were not in contempt of court

In the wake of claims that a recent statement made by National People’s Power (NPP) Parliamentarian and attorney Lakmali Hemachandra amounts to contempt of court, Minister of Justice and National Integration, Attorney Harshana Nanayakkara said that he does not believe her remarks were in contempt.

The minister made this observation following criticism from the Opposition over Hemachandra’s statement during a Provincial Coordination Committee meeting in Colombo, where she appeared to ask officials not to implement a court order for the eviction of squatters from a land in Narahenpita.

When contacted by The Daily Morning, Nanayakkara said: “I don’t think what she said is in contempt of court, nor do I believe she interfered in the process of justice. It was an administrative discussion.”

The meeting during which Hemachandra made the remarks in question had been convened to address longstanding land and housing disputes in Colombo, particularly concerning families who have lived on the disputed land for decades. The officials informed that a land had been legally acquired by the Road Development Authority (RDA) for the Baseline Road Project, and a court order had been obtained to evict the residents after they were deemed unauthorised settlers.

The RDA had also informed the meeting that the families had refused to vacate despite multiple notices and that a motion was being filed to proceed with the eviction. However, representatives at the meeting pleaded the residents’ case, pointing out that many had lived there for more than 25 years and possessed documents such as electricity bills and electoral registry entries to prove their long-term occupancy. During the discussion, one local politician emotionally said that the families were “not animals to be thrown out” and that they were willing to relocate if provided with alternative housing.

It was in this context that MP Hemachandra went on to say: “We discussed this issue last week, didn’t we? I said then not to implement the court decision against them because they have nowhere to go. Didn’t we come to such an agreement?” Following her remark, Deputy Minister of Public Security, attorney Sunil Watagala immediately intervened, and said that the Government would not interfere with a judicial process. However, he urged officials to handle the situation humanely. Hemachandra’s remarks had since been criticised by many parties including Opposition political parties.