A request has been made in Parliament to appoint a Parliamentary Select Committee to expedite the resolution of the backlog of cases within Sri Lanka’s judicial system.

According the Ministry of Justice, the number of pending cases currently before courts across the country exceeds 1.1 million. 

Unfilled judicial vacancies, a shortage of legal officers at the Attorney General’s Department, and delays in obtaining reports from the Government Analyst’s Department and Government Valuation Department have been identified as the main factors contributing to these delays.

Meanwhile, Minister of Justice and National Integration Harshana Nanayakkara has reportedly acknowledged in Parliament that the heavy workload and resulting delays at the Attorney General’s Department are also significant contributors to delays in the judicial process.

According to data from the Department of Prisons, although Sri Lanka’s prisons have the capacity to accommodate approximately 10,000 inmates, the current prison population exceeds 40,000. It has been highlighted that around 75 percent of inmates are suspects awaiting the conclusion of legal proceedings.

Accordingly, a request has been submitted to appoint a Parliamentary Select Committee under Standing Orders 100 to 110 to examine the causes behind the case backlog, recommend short-term, medium-term, and long-term solutions, and address the issue of overcrowding in prisons.