The Judicial Service Commission has cleared Kosala Senadheera of all charges and reinstated him with immediate effect, more than two years after he was suspended while serving as the Colombo Fort Magistrate, the Daily Mirror reported.
He has been attached to the Colombo Magistrate’s Court and will receive back pay for the period of his suspension, along with his other entitlements.
A 27-month inquiry
Senadheera was suspended with effect from 10 July 2024, following allegations that electricity and water had been illegally obtained for his official residence.
The formal inquiry that followed was conducted by the Judicial Service Commission, which is headed by the Chief Justice. It ran for 27 months and recorded evidence from more than 20 witnesses before the Commission reached its decision.
Hiru News reported the same decision, giving the same suspension date, the same 27-month duration, the same witness count and the same account of the allegations.
The Daily Mirror adds that Senadheera is the most senior magistrate in the special grade of the judicial service.
Not reported
Neither filing says who brought the original allegations, which body investigated them before the JSC inquiry began, or why the inquiry took 27 months. Neither gives the Commission’s reasoning, states whether its findings will be published, or says how much back pay is owed. Neither reports any comment from Senadheera, from the Commission, or from the Judicial Service Association.
Nor does either filing address what happened to the Colombo Fort court during the suspension. Readers should note that the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court has since been presided over by Magistrate Pasan Amarasena, who features in separate proceedings in this archive; the two are different judicial officers and the reinstatement does not concern those cases.
Sources: Daily Mirror, Hiru News.
