Proposal to increase the number of Supreme Court justices

Colombo (News 1st): A proposal to increase the number of Supreme Court justices from 11 to 15 has been presented. The proposal was presented when the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Legal Affairs, Anti-Corruption, and Media convened in Parliament. Sectoral Oversight Committee on Legal Affairs, Anti-Corruption and Media were presided by its President Dr Jayampathy Wickramaratne. Several issues related to law enforcement and the development of the judicial system were discussed. Attorney General's Department said around 10,000 indictments will be filed against cases of fraud and corruption by the 31st of December 2019. The Attorney General's Department informed the Sectoral Oversight Committee that the Department has filed 7800 indictments during the first eight months of the year. The decision was taken to review the Anti-Corruption Draft Bill at the Committee's next hearing. The committee also proposed to increase the number of Supreme Court Judges from 11 to 15. It was decided to consider the matter in the future. It was also mentioned that the delay in court proceedings is a serious issue and a full study should be conducted.