Fools Rush In Where Angels Fear To Tread: Ranjan’s Telephone Conversation Fiasco

By Ashan Nanayakkara –

Ashan Nanayakkara

Writer struck by a Facebook comment dated 06-01-2020 posted by Uvindu Kurukulasuriya, i.e.” විනිසුරුල කියන්නෙ අන්ත අසරණ අය​. මොකද ඒ ගොල්ලන්ගෙ දුක්ගැනිවිලි කියන්න කියන්න කිසිම කෙනෙක් නැහැ. ජජ් රන්ජන්ට කතා කිරීමේ වරදක් නැහැ, නමුත් දුමින්ද කේස් එක ගැන රන්ජන් ජජ්ට කතා කිරීම වැරදියි. ශානිත් කියනවනෙ අනේ බුදු සර් ආයෙ නම් කතා කරන්න එපා කියල​. අවුරුදු පහකට ඇතුලට දාන්න පුලුවන් කියල​. ජජ්ල ඕන තරම් ඒ ගොලන්ගෙ දුක්ගැනිවිලි මාත් එක්ක කියල තියෙනව​. සමහර ජජස්ල පත්තර කන්තෝරුවලටත් එනව​. ඇත්තටම ඒ ගොල්ල ගොලුවො. දුක කියන්න කෙනෙක් නැති.” (“The Judges are left in the lurch. They are helpless. Because, they have no one to complaint to. There is no folly in Judge talking to Ranjan; but, it is wrong that Ranjan asks on Duminda’s matter from the Judge, vice versa. Even Shani told Ranjan, please, do not ever talk to them (judges) again, my dear Sir. For such an offence, Ranjan can be sent to behind bars for 5-years. In numerous times, Judges have said about their grievances with me. Some Judges come to Newspaper Companies. In truth, they are tongue-tied group who has no one to share their moans.”)

This was posted at the backdrop where set of electronic recordings have been confiscated by the Police, at Ranjan Ramanayake’s house, of which, couple of recordings said to have been released, which sound, one retired former Judge, Padmini Ranawaka and former Director Criminal Investigation Department (CID) – Shani Abeysekera had had telephone conversations with former Minister Ranjan Ramanayake. According to them, it was come to light, the sad state of affairs of giving promotions to Judges in Sri Lanka, neglect of career judges being appointed to superior courts of the country, decisions of some highly hush-hush court cases and secret criminal investigations.

Listen to Padmini Ranawaka’s alleged recording:

Listen to Shani Abeysekere’s alleged recording:

Out of those 2-telephone conversations, the writer, as an Attorney-at-Law who had appeared several occasions, before her Hounour when she was at High Court No 4 of the Colombo High Court and High Court of Pandura, could confirm that it was Retired High Court Judge Mrs. Ranawaka who was in the other side of the line. The other voice too, more often than not, resonances as Shani Abeysekera. It is latter’s down-south dialect and the other sequence of events which he talks, confirm the voice, as, that too, Shani Abeysekera, the former Director CID. Yet, confirmation of those voices can be challenged by those duo and until such is proven otherwise, let’s play it BY EAR!

Leaving aside all the innuendoes uttered by the Lady Judge who is said to be talked from the other side of the wire, there is one main point that echoes through-out her conversation with Ranjan. That is, how hard to be a Judge in Sri Lanka and how painstaking exercise that they are tasked to, for which, has no timely promotions and upgrades based on their merits. 

The writer, being a member of the Profession, had appeared before this Lady Judge, could vouch for her integrity (though it is subjective to some other party). She is the ultimate product of a career Judge, who has no any social relationship, influential social life, nor casual acquaintance of anyone those who are in Places. That is the status of our Judges. They are, naturally, entered into their own shelf after joined into the Judiciary and they see the world only through their close family members. That is the sacrifice and the cost of their Job; in return, they are venerated as living gods, but that too limited till they retirement. Those Judges, sometimes, who wants to go out of the box and have active social life will end like “Icarus” who attempted to escape from Crete by means of wings constructed from feathers and wax, eventually, when he got closer to the sun more and more, wax got melt and he tumbled out the sky and died.

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