Kurunegala-based lawyer appears before court despite island-wide protest

2026-02-17 - 05:19

While lawyers across the country refrained from appearing before the courts on behalf of any cases yesterday (Feb. 16) in protest over the recent shooting of a lawyer and his wife in Akuregoda, Kurunegala-based attorney Keerthi G. Dunusinghe has reportedly appeared before the Kurunegala Magistrate’s Court. Mr. Dunusinghe attended to his cases as other lawyers staged a protest in Kurunegala town, against the twin murders. Explaining his decision, the senior lawyer said he had accepted professional fees from clients to represent them in numerous cases before the Kurunegala court and was therefore professionally bound to appear. “When I took my oath before the Supreme Court (SC) of Sri Lanka, I pledged to render my services to the public without distinction of political affiliation. Once members of the public who expect a service from me have paid the agreed professional fee, I am professionally bound to represent them. For any reason whatsoever, I cannot refuse them, nor can I neglect the service I am obliged to provide. I swore before the SC that I would appear on behalf of the public in legal proceedings whenever required. The SC has not instructed us to refrain from work. In the course of my professional duties, I appeared before the court and provided full cooperation to the Honourable Court. By appearing before the cases heard today by the Magistrates, I upheld the dignity of my profession,” he added.