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Some lawyers went berserk last November, smashing up as they did furniture in the Colombo High court, when the judgment in the White Flag case was delivered. The judges were insulted and had to be removed to safety. Arguing that anyone who had issue with courts over judgments could always appeal instead of breaking chairs or hurling abuse at judges in court houses, we cautioned in these columns that such action would set a very bad precedent unless the culprits were brought to justice immediately. About eight months on, we have been made witness to a somewhat similar situation in Mannar. A group of fishers angered by a legal dispute attacked the court complex and the police station in that township before being dispersed by the riot police.
Concerns of the protesting fisherfolk of Mannar should be appreciated and their grievances redressed without delay. They would not have taken to the streets braving the heavily armed police just for the fun of it. Their freedom of assembly and right to protest must be recognised and safeguarded. But on no grounds should attacks on court houses and police stations be tolerated. Stringent action is called for against those involved in Wednesday s incident. They must be dealt with in such a way that they will realise the gravity of what they have done and others of their ilk will be deterred from following suit.
In 1983, a group of thugs stoned Supreme Court Judges houses at the behest of the then government leaders who were irked and piqued by a court ruling in an FR case in favour of Vivienne Goonewardena, who had been roughed up by the police. The perpetrators went scot free and the government sought to downplay the incident by claiming that stones someone threw at mango trees in the area may have fallen on judges houses! Naturally, the underworld got emboldened over the years to such an extent that a notorious drug baron, Kudu Nauffer, had High Court Judge Sarath Ambepitiya murdered in 2004. Therefore, all indications are that unless the problem of mob attacks on court houses and police stations is nipped in the bud, the day may not be far off when judges and courts come under attacks by the losing side in every case.
People s disillusionment with public institutions is becoming increasingly palpable. An Opposition MP has warned that the people might even consider setting Parliament on fire unless legislators, especially the government MPs, get their act together. It is heartening that at least one lawmaker has realised the rapid erosion of public faith in the national legislature and people s pent-up resentment. Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe also stressed, the other day in Parliament, the pressing need for MPs to consider themselves public servants and take their legislative duties seriously.
The country has come to such a pass that the people have already lost faith in the police. They tend to take the law into their own hands. There have been numerous instances where vehicles involved in fatal accidents and houses of murder or rape suspects were torched by the irate public. Several police stations have also come under mob attacks.
The judiciary is one of the few public institutions that still command people s respect. The worst that can happen to a country is for the public to lose faith in the justice dispensation system. Political interference in judicial processes and questionable commissions and omissions on the part of the police as regards the implementation of court orders, especially the execution of arrest warrants will only lead to a situation where the people get disillusioned with the entire judicial system. It is imperative that the government take action to arrest this dangerous trend to prevent the country from being plunged into anarchy. And fast!
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