Sri Lanka’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) submitted its report into the fleeing of a Tamil judge who faced death threats on the island, and claimed that “there was no threat to life” in its conclusion.
Mullaitivu District Judge T. Saravanarajah resigned from his posts and fled the island due to death threats and mounting pressure from the Sri Lankan government last month.
In the aftermath of his resignation, Sri Lankan president Ranil Wickremasinghe instructed Minister for Public Security Tiran Alles to have the CID investigate the circumstances surrounding the judge's departure. The Digital Forensics department of the CID subsequently conducted an investigation into the matter and claimed that there was no evidence to substantiate claims of threats to his life.
In recent months, however, security provided for the judge had been significantly reduced, and he had reportedly found himself under surveillance by military intelligence officers. Moreover, the Attorney General summoned Judge Saravanarajah last month, where he felt pressured to change his judgements related to the ongoing Kurunthurmalai archaeological site cases.
Sinhala Buddhist monks with the support of the Sri Lankan military and archaeology department are continuing to carry out the construction of a Buddhist shrine in the area, which has been subject to a series of legal challenges from local Tamils. Saravanarajah has also specifically mentioned threats made by MP Sarath Weerasekara during parliamentary debates and other public forums.
"No one can say that there was no pressure on the Mullaitivu district judge, and at this moment, we have an obligation to speak out loud," said TNA MP M A Sumanthiran.
In the aftermath of Saravanarajah’s resignation a series of protests have been held across the North-East as well as rally in Colombo, denouncing the lack of independence in Sri Lanka’s judiciary.
