BASL says reference made by Wickramaratne ‘unjustifiable’ and ‘unreasonable’

• Says BASL always protects and preserves rights of members
• No complaint of harassment, intimidation or duress by CID officials from said Attorney-at-Law
• If complaint of professional rights being violated, BASL takes all steps to protect her interests

The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) on Friday defended itself over allegations made by UNP MP Eran Wickramaratne in Parliament that BASL had remained silent when Anurangi Singh, a lawyer and journalist attached to the Sunday Observer, was interrogated by the CID on 10 February.

“The BASL has always protected and preserved the rights of the members of our profession. We have not been hesitant to come forward whenever the professional rights for our members have been violated. For this purpose, we do not need any guidance or requests from politicians or any others outside the profession,” BASL President Kalinga Indatissa PC said in a statement issued on behalf of the Association’s EXCO.

In his statement to Parliament on Thursday, Wickramaratne said there was a time when BASL would be up in arms if the CID summoned an Attorney-at-Law and grilled her about confidential information and journalistic sources and asked the President of BASL if he does not care about what is happening anymore.

Indatissa in his statement said the Attorney-at-Law to whom a reference was made is a member of the BASL but she had not made any complaint to the Association of harassment, intimidation or duress by officials who had recorded the statement.

“Consequent to the speech of the MP we made inquiries from the said Attorney-at-Law and it transpires that she was requested to make a statement in respect of a pending investigation. She has obliged the request and made a statement as requested,” BASL said in the statement, adding that: “In any event the statement has nothing to do with her obligations, role or duties as an Attorney-at-Law and was recorded purportedly on matters touching upon her employment as a journalist.”

“If the said Attorney had made a complaint to BASL about any of her professional rights being violated arising out of her professional obligations as an Attorney-at-Law, the BASL would have taken all steps to protect her interests. There is no such complaints up to the point and BASL should not be dragged into matters outside its duty,” the statement said.

BASL said references made to it by the MP are “unjustifiable” and “unreasonable” and where statements of such nature are made, those who make such statements should make an attempt to understand the role of professional bodies and the concept of “professional obligations” and obligations falling outside.