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SRI LANKA JUDGES’  INSTITUTE

Address: Room 138, Superior Courts Complex, Colombo 12
Telephone: (94)1 437528

The Sri Lanka Judges’ Institute was established by Act, No. 46 of 1985 for the purpose of fulfilling the following objectives –

  • To provide facilities for the exchange of views and ideas on judicial and legal matters, by judicial officers;
  • To organize and hold meetings, conferences and lectures, workshops and seminars with a view to improving the professional expertise of judicial officers and advancing their knowledge and skills;
  • To formulate and conduct research courses in various aspects of the administration of justice;
  • To provide library facilities and other educational material for judicial officers.

Office

The office of the Institute is located in Room 138 of the Superior Courts Complex, in Hultsdorf.

Board of Management

The management of the Institute is vested in a Board of Management comprising the Chief Justice and two Judges of the Supreme Court appointed by the President.

The present members of the Board are His Lordship Sarath N. Silva, Chief Justice, Hon. Justice  Shirani Bandaranayake and Hon. Justice J.A.N. de Silva.

Funds

The Institute receives funds from the Consolidated Fund, under the  votes of the Ministry of Justice. A sum of Rs. 1.2 M has been voted for the Institute for 2003.

Several activities are funded by individual sponsors approved by the Institute.

The Institute has its own Fund, into which may be paid all donations, gifts and grants received from any source approved by the President.

Officers of the Institute

The Institute is headed by retired Judge of the Supreme Court Mr. Justice (retired) J.F.A. Soza as Director, assisted by Mr. Justice P.H.K. Kulatilleke, retired Judge of the Court of Appeal.

Reports

The Annual Report of the Auditor General on the accounts of the Institute for each financial year as well as the Annual Report of the Board on the activities of the Institute for that year, are required to be tabled in Parliament within six months of the end of the year.

Programme of activities planned for 2003

  1. Six month Training Courses for newly recruited Judicial Officers

  2. Conducting Weekend Seminars and Workshops for Judicial Officers already in service, and for Labour Tribunal Presidents

  3. Provincial Seminars for District Judges and Magistrates in collaboration with the Governance and Institutional Strengthening Project

  4. All-Island Telephone Advisory Service

  5. Participating at the Term-end Seminars for High Court Judges sponsored by the Governance and Institutional Strengthening Project in collaboration with the Judges' Institute

  6. Seminars organised by various NGO's with the permission of the Honourable the Chief Justice. (Last year 10 such Seminars were held)