Jayalath Pathiranage Lal de Silva vs Officer-in-Charge, Police Station, Vavuniya – APPLICATION TRANSFER NO.420/2012-2013

In the case between Jayalath Pathiranage Lal de Silva (petitioner) and the Officer-in-Charge, Police Station, Vavuniya, and the Hon. Attorney-General (respondents), the court addressed the issue of whether a criminal case pending in the Magistrate’s Court of Vavuniya should be transferred to the Magistrate’s Court of Colombo or Balapitiya at the petitioner’s request. The court held that while parties have the right to adequate translation and interpretation when proceedings are conducted in a language they do not understand, the inconvenience of travel alone is insufficient to warrant a transfer of venue. Proper jurisdiction was found to rest with the Vavuniya court, and the potential inconvenience to witnesses outweighed the petitioner’s travel difficulties. The application for transfer w