Jayalath Pathiranage Lal de Silva vs Head Quarters Chief Inspector – CA TRANSFER APPLICATION NO.421/2012-2013

In the case between Jayalath Pathiranage Lal de Silva (Petitioner) and the Head Quarters Chief Inspector, Vavuniya Police, along with the Hon. Attorney-General, the court examined the issue of whether a transfer of criminal proceedings from the Magistrate’s Court, Vavuniya, to another jurisdiction was warranted. The application was grounded on the Petitioner’s inability to understand proceedings conducted in Tamil and the inconvenience associated with lengthy travel for court appearances. It was held that adequate translation in the current venue fulfills the rights of a party not conversant with the court’s language, and inconvenience alone does not justify a transfer if it may prejudice witnesses. Jurisdiction was found to be properly established in Vavuniya, and the application for tran