Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara said he does not believe recent remarks made by National People’s Power (NPP) MP Lakmali Hemachandra amount to contempt of court, following criticism of her comments during a public meeting.
At a Provincial Coordination Committee meeting in Colombo, Hemachandra appeared to urge officials not to enforce a court order to evict squatters from state land in Narahenpita.
“We spoke about this earlier. I told you not to implement the court order, because those people have nowhere to go. Didn’t we agree on that?” she said during the meeting.
In a televised interview with Kalindu Karunaratne of Ada Derana, Nanayakkara responded to a report by The Morning, reiterating that, in his view, Hemachandra’s statement did not constitute contempt. He stressed that it is ultimately up to the court to make such a determination.
Nanayakkara also noted that the court order in question did not include a deadline or require officials to report back to the court.
“There are many such eviction orders. If they were all implemented, at least a third of Colombo would be displaced,” he said.
He added that the government must act with a broader policy perspective, stating that the issue dates back to April 2024 and that residents should be relocated before any eviction is carried out.
“The government can take a policy decision without it amounting to contempt of court,” Nanayakkara said.
When pressed by the journalist about the potential precedent set by Hemachandra’s remarks, the minister disagreed with the suggestion that her statement was improper.
“I spoke to Lakmali about this. I don’t believe that disregarding a court order was her intention. It may appear so when the statement is taken out of context,” he said. (Newswire)