JAFFNA, Sri Lanka — The Jaffna Bar Association has appealed directly to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to investigate the sudden transfer of High Court Judge A.G. Alexraja, warning that the move risks undermining public confidence in the judiciary and raising concerns about interference in judicial administration.
In a letter dated May 30 and addressed to the President through the Presidential Secretariat, the association expressed its "complete disbelief and shock" at the transfer of Judge Alexraja from the High Court of Jaffna to the Civil Appellate High Court of Badulla.
Judge Alexraja was appointed to the Jaffna High Court on April 22. His transfer, which is scheduled to take effect on May 31, comes little more than a month after he assumed office.
The Bar Association said the timing of the transfer had "led to speculations as to the presence of extraneous reasons" behind the decision.
The letter, signed by the association's vice president and secretary, pointed to a possible connection between the transfer and certain interim orders issued by the judge in proceedings involving the Governor of the Northern Province, who had been named as a respondent in writ petitions before the court. Those orders were subsequently vacated and not extended, the association noted.
The association further stated that it "reliably" understood that the governor had written to, or spoken with, certain authorities, including members of the government, regarding the matter. While emphasizing that it did not dispute the Judicial Service Commission's authority to transfer judicial officers, the association said that unexplained transfers and interference by members of the executive branch in such decisions could erode public confidence in the judiciary.
"Even the slightest impression of interference in the workings of the judiciary is a very serious issue," the letter said.
The association urged the President, as Head of State, to ensure "zero tolerance" for any interference with the judiciary and called for an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the transfer. It also requested an opportunity to meet the President in person to discuss the matter.
The Judicial Service Commission has not publicly explained the reasons for the transfer, and the President's Office has not publicly responded to the concerns raised by the Bar Association.
