Criminal cases take over 10 years on average to conclude: Justice Kodagoda

Friday, 3 July 2026 00:07 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Justice Yasantha Kodagoda

A single cycle of a criminal case in Sri Lanka takes an average of 10 years and two months to conclude, highlighting deep-rooted delays in the country’s justice system, Justice Yasantha Kodagoda said in a video of a public address shared on social media.

Justice Kodagoda said more than 1.1 million cases are currently pending before the country’s courts, which are handled by just 333 courts nationwide.

He said these comprise 80 magistrates’ courts, two child magistrates’ courts, 64 district courts, 94 combined district and magistrates’ courts, 53 High Courts, five commercial High Courts, 23 civil appellate High Courts, seven judges of the Court of Appeal and five divisions of the Supreme Court.

If the caseload were distributed evenly, each court would be responsible for handling more than 3,300 cases, he said, adding that the limited capacity of judges, legal officers and support staff has had a direct impact on the speed of justice.

Explaining the criminal justice process, Justice Kodagoda said a case begins with a police investigation following the reporting of an offence, proceeds before a magistrate, followed by the filing of indictments by the Attorney General in the High Court before trial and conclusion.

Citing the findings of a 2013 survey, he said the average time taken to complete this process exceeds a decade.

“As an example, if a burglary is reported today, the first phase of the case would only conclude in August 2036,” Justice Kodagoda said, stressing the need for reforms to address systemic delays in the administration of justice.