Nagananda Kodithuwakku vs Jayantha Jayasuriya – SC CONTEMPT/02/2022-2023

Brief
In the case between Nagananda Kodithuwakku and Jayantha Jayasuriya, the court addressed whether the allegations made by the petitioner against the incumbent Chief Justice, premised on the claim that he was “charged for the criminal offence of contempt of court,” were legally supportable, and whether the use of terms such as “charged” and “summoned,” in reference to communications with the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC), amounted to an act scandalizing the Supreme Court. It was held that the petitioner’s application was misconceived and based on misrepresentations of fact and law, with the use of such language being found to undermine the authority and dignity of the Supreme Court. The decision reaffirmed the principle that allegations against