Leader of the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) Sivagnanam Shritharan told Sri Lanka’s parliament of threats made on social media towards the judge who dismissed a case brought by Sri Lankan police against Tamil devotees in Vedukkunaari last month.

Shritharan said it was concerning to find social media posts stating that the judge who presided over the case would be forced to flee the country, like another Tamil judge was forced to do last year. 

“After the eight individuals were arrested and subsequently released by a Vavuniya court, a Facebook page by the name of “The North is our heritage” has published the name of the judge who delivered the verdict,” said Shritharan.

The page warned that the judge “will flee the country like the Mullaitivu judge who gave a judgement in favour of Tamils in the Kurunthurmalai case”.

Mullaitivu judge T Saravanarajah, who fled the island in September 2023 after facing death threats. The threats and pressure stem principally from his involvement in the contentious Kurunthurmalai archaeological site cases. Judge Saravanarajah revealed that various individuals in government had been exerting immense pressure on him to alter his judgements in these cases. He specifically mentioned the threats made by MP Sarath Weerasekara during parliamentary debates and other public forums.

 “That Facebook page demonstrates that Sinhala supremacists cannot even tolerate a legally delivered judgement,” the ITAK leader added.

Shritharan tabled a copy of the Facebook post stating that it concerns the citizens living in this country. “The main reason for this is Vidura Wickramanayaka," he added, highlighting the role of Sri Lanka’s Minister of Buddhashasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs who recently vowed to continue with ‘archaeology’ encroachments despite complaints from resident Tamils.