Mullaithivu Magistrate’s resignation Lawyers in North staged a walkout

By Sithum Chaturanga   

Lawyers in the unofficial bar in courts in the North yesterday staged a walkout demanding a formal investigation of death threats on Mullaithivu Magistrate T. Saravanarajah and adequate protection for magistrates in the North. 

 They requested the government to protect independence of the judiciary.  The lawyers in Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mannar, Vavuniya, and Mullaithivu districts participated. This created hardship to litigants who appeared in courts in connection with cases to be taken up yesterday.  They warned that they would continue to strike until a formal investigation of the incident was held and the real culprits brought to book. Northern Province Bar Association pointed out that it had drawn the attention of the authorities on similar incidents earlier.