W. S. B. S. Fernando vs Wickramage Don Dharmasiri Karunaratne – SC Rule No. 16/2023-2025

In the matter of the Supreme Court’s Rule against Attorney-at-Law Wickramage Don Dharmasiri Karunaratne, the court examined allegations of fraudulent and felonious acts. These included the perusal of a case record under a false name, tearing pages from it, and failing to provide a satisfactory explanation. Such actions were considered a breach of Supreme Court Rules 11, 60, and 61, and constituted deceit, malpractice, crime, or offence under Section 42(2) of the Judicature Act. The evidence presented by prosecution witnesses was found to corroborate the allegations, while the Respondent’s defense was deemed unacceptable. The court concluded that the Respondent’s conduct amounted to proven charges of deceit, malpractice, crime, and offence, leading to a decision for his removal from the off