April 2026

Judges’ Retirement Age: A New Proposal and Its Implications

Judges’ Retirement Age: A New Proposal and Its Implications

By: Professor G. L. Peiris I. The Constitutional Context Independence of the judiciary is, without question, an essential element of a functioning democracy. In recognition of this, ample provision is made in the highest law of our country, the Constitution, to engender an environment in which the courts are able to fulfil their public responsibility with total acceptance. As part of this protective apparatus, judges of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal are assured of security of t
April 2026 Guest Column
Professor G. L. Peiris

Professor G. L. Peiris
Sri Lankan Deputy High Commissioner’s Presence at Puducherry Political Event Raises Interference Concerns

Sri Lankan Deputy High Commissioner’s Presence at Puducherry Political Event Raises Interference Concerns

CHENNAI, India — April 6, 2026 — Sri Lanka’s Deputy High Commissioner for South India, Ganesanathan Ketheeswaran, has come under scrutiny following allegations that he attended a politically linked gathering in Puducherry, drawing criticism from Indian opposition figures and raising questions about diplomatic conduct during an election period. Pawan Khera, a senior leader of the Indian National Congress, alleged in a social media post that Mr. Ketheeswaran participated in an event organized by
April 2026 JM Exclusive
Our Reporter

Our Reporter
Teachers’ Union Blames Northern Officials for Loss of Hardship Allowances in Jaffna’s Island Schools

Teachers’ Union Blames Northern Officials for Loss of Hardship Allowances in Jaffna’s Island Schools

JAFFNA, Sri Lanka — April 6, 2026 — The Ceylon Teachers’ Union has accused education authorities in Sri Lanka’s Northern Province of negligence in the suspension of hardship allowances for teachers working in remote island communities, saying the decision has left dozens of educators without essential support despite the challenging conditions they face. Joseph Stalin, the union’s general secretary, said a formal complaint had been lodged with the Secretary of the Ministry of Education, citing
April 2026 Monitor Memo
Our Reporter

Our Reporter
Tilvin Silva Casts Suspicion on Easter Attack Book, Says Truth ‘Will Emerge Soon’

Tilvin Silva Casts Suspicion on Easter Attack Book, Says Truth ‘Will Emerge Soon’

VAVUNIYA, Sri Lanka — April 6, 2026 — Tilvin Silva, general secretary of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and widely regarded as a key behind-the-scenes figure in Sri Lanka’s ruling establishment, said on Sunday that the truth behind the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings would “emerge very soon,” while casting suspicion on individuals promoting alternative narratives through recent book publications. Speaking at the 55th April Heroes’ Commemoration in Vavuniya, Mr. Silva suggested that some of tho
April 2026 Monitor Memo
Our Reporter

Our Reporter
Lavan Akshayan Cremated as Jaffna Mourns a Top-Performing Student

Lavan Akshayan Cremated as Jaffna Mourns a Top-Performing Student

JAFFNA, Sri Lanka — April 5, 2026 — Lavan Akshayan, 19, one of the top-performing Advanced Level students whose death after a sudden illness stirred grief across northern Sri Lanka, was cremated on Sunday at the Thavadi Hindu Cemetery in Jaffna, as thousands gathered to pay their respects. Mourners — classmates, schoolmates, teachers, neighbours and villagers, along with many who had come to know him only through his story — filled his home and later the cremation ground and surrounding streets
April 2026 Monitor Memo
Our Reporter

Our Reporter
Sri Lanka’s Indian Ocean Reckoning

Sri Lanka’s Indian Ocean Reckoning

By Abbi Kanthasamy Sri Lanka’s real strategic question is not whether it can become “the next Singapore” or a miniature Dubai. It is whether it can finally learn the harder lesson those two city-states teach: that financial centres are not created by tax gimmicks, real-estate spectacle, or patriotic rhetoric. They are built by states that become credible before they become glamorous. In 2026, that distinction is even more important than it was a generation ago. The old haven model—low tax, ligh
April 2026 Guest Column
Abbi Kanthasamy

Abbi Kanthasamy
For 359 Days, Easter Claims. In Court, None — The Pillayan Case

For 359 Days, Easter Claims. In Court, None — The Pillayan Case

Sri Lanka's government spent a year telling its people one story. When it appeared before a court, it told another. On April 8, 2025, the Criminal Investigation Department arrested Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan — widely known as Pillayan — at the TMVP headquarters in Batticaloa. Within two days, Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala stood in Parliament and declared that significant information had emerged linking Pillayan to the Easter Sunday bombings of April 21, 2019 — the worst terrorist
April 2026 OP-ED
Our Reporter

Our Reporter
The Shepherd's Flock: Protecting the Human Rights of the Public Servant

The Shepherd's Flock: Protecting the Human Rights of the Public Servant

By: Jeevan Thiagarajah At the heart of a functioning democracy lies a profound paradox: the public servant is both an instrument of the state and a citizen entitled to the full protection of the Constitution. Their service conditions — carefully stipulated by the Public Service Commission and relevant regulations — are not mere administrative guidelines. They are guarantees of dignity. Courts and tribunals have repeatedly reinforced this principle: a person does not surrender their fundamental
April 2026 Guest Column
Jeevan Thiyagaraja

Jeevan Thiyagaraja