The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has suspended the duties of Wellawaya Magistrate Manjula Ratnayake with effect from October 30, following a formal complaint lodged by the Inspector General of Police (IGP).
The decision comes after the JSC launched an investigation into allegations raised by the IGP to the Chief Justice concerning several of Magistrate Ratnayake’s case decisions.
According to reports, the inquiry focuses on alleged misconduct involving the lifting of travel bans and the release of items that had been submitted to court as case evidence.
Magistrate Ratnayake, who previously served at the Colombo Magistrate’s Court, was transferred to Wellawaya earlier this year. His transfer, along with several other magistrates moved from Colombo to distant provinces, recently drew criticism from a number of Members of Parliament.
The Judicial Service Commission is expected to take further action based on the findings of the ongoing investigation.
