FINANCIAL CHRONICLE – Sri Lanka is set to establish seven new courts to address a backlog of approximately 1.1 million civil and criminal cases, as announced by Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara. Among these, five courts will be located in the Aluthkade MCC building, encompassing civil high courts and commercial courts.
The specific types of these courts will be determined based on case requirements, Nanayakkara informed reporters. He noted, “In most countries, there are typically 40-60 judges for every one million people, but we currently have only about 20.”
Many judges are burdened with 3,000 to 4,000 cases, and some courts are managing between 2,000 to 3,000 cases. “As a result, the intervals between hearings have lengthened due to the volume of cases,” Nanayakkara explained.
The Justice Minister also highlighted a shortage of legal staff. As of December 2024, there were 4,422 vacancies, which has now been reduced to 4,130. “We are actively hiring and aim to fill all positions by March-April,” he stated.
(Colombo/Feb19/2026)
