Sittings at the Colombo District Court were suspended on Monday after a section of a building inside the court premises collapsed on the night of Saturday, August 29, and separately the Justice Ministry has opened an investigation into cracks in the walls of judges’ chambers at the Colombo High Court.
District Court closed, cases pushed to September 30
Hiru News reported that authorities suspended court activities for Monday over concerns about the structural safety of the building. Vehicles were barred from entering the premises for the day.
The secretary of the Colombo Bar Association, Lahiru Welgama, said no proceedings would be conducted and advised lawyers and members of the public not to enter the affected building, warning that it could become further unstable.
All cases listed to be called on Monday will instead be called on 30 September 2026 — a delay of a full month for every litigant on the day’s list. Parties who need enjoining orders extended may apply to the Registrar, which spares urgent injunctive matters from waiting out the postponement.
Judges are to give further information on development work at the premises and on when court operations will resume.
Cracks in High Court judges’ chambers
In a separate account the same morning, Justice and National Integration Minister Harshana Nanayakkara said an investigation had been launched into cracks that have appeared in the walls of judges’ chambers at the Colombo High Court.
Engineering teams and the Ministry Secretary inspected the premises on Sunday, the minister said, and a special report was expected on Monday. He added that a discussion involving all relevant parties would also be held during the day.
What the reports did not say
The Colombo High Court and the Colombo District Court both sit within the Hulftsdorp court complex, but neither outlet said whether the collapse and the cracks are connected, or whether the two buildings share any structural fault. Neither report gave the age or maintenance history of either building, and no injuries were reported in the collapse.
Hiru identified Welgama as secretary of the Colombo Bar Association; the body representing lawyers practising in Colombo is elsewhere referred to as the Colombo Law Society. No figure has been published for how many cases were affected by Monday’s postponement.
