The Jaffna Judge, Srinithi Nandasekaran, was given the orders by the Sri Lankan Justice Commission not to perform any duties outside the courts. In other words she was ordered not to go to the spot to investigate murders. Why?

The Judge and the victims

As the number of killings, disappearances and threats increased, civilians in Jaffna became too frightened to even lodge complaints with the police fearing reprisals from the Sri Lanka military. In June the Judge issued an advice to the civilians. That advice included the following.

“Cases of disappearances in Jaffna are on the increase. More than 50 people have disappeared in Jaffna since December. Families of the victims have not made any complaints either to the police or to the courts out of fear. The law permits people to complain at the courts about disappeared people. According to legal code 136 subsection 1A, a relative of the disappeared can make a verbal complaint at the courts. People are also ignoring unlawful arrests that they are witnessing out of fear. If the Sri Lankan military or other groups issue death threats, people must approach the courts”.

The Judge and the military

On 8 July, the Judge was threatened by the Sri Lankan army. Sri Lankan soldiers followed her car at gunpoint as her car was on its way to drop her primary school aged children at school. The soldiers were unaware that the Judge was not in the car at that time. The driver of the car later stated that he has been harassed and questioned about the Judge’s travel patterns. On 11 July, Jaffna Magistrate Court employees protested against the attempted attack on and threats to the Judge.

The Judge and Allaipiddy massacre

Mrs. Srinithi Nanthasekaran in a Crime Scene outside the courts - Sri Lankan Government is worried as it
will expose the extrajudicial killing by Government Armed Foreces


On 13 August, civilians from Allaipiddy walked the 8 Kms to Jaffna Teaching hospital to inform the massacre in their village by Sri Lankan military shelling. No one was courageous enough to act on that information. The Judge went with some others to see the dead and injured. The judge collected four bodies and brought it to Jaffna Teaching hospital. There were many more bodies which the Judge could not remove due to limitations of space in the vehicle. Some bodies are still lying in Allaipiddy because the military refuses permission to the families to remove them.

The restrained Judge

There are several such actions by the Judge which has become a thorn on the side of the Sri Lankan army.

On 10 September the Judge was ordered to halt all duties outside the courts.