Sri Lanka Commercial High Court Infrastructure Assessment: CORE Justice

The court is housed in an old colonial building dating back to the late 1800s, which has reportedly not undergone any significant renovation over the past ten years. The facility is in fair to poor condition, with inadequate court records space, modern staff work space, and equipment required for efficient court operation. Judges have identified several priority areas for renovation, including the lack of adequate court records space, modern staff work space, and equipment required for efficient court operation. The court's courtroom furnishings are old and need replacement, and technology provided by the World Bank in 2010, which includes digital sound recording, evidence presentation, and video teleconferencing, is not operational due to lack of a maintenance contract. Digital sound recording would be of great benefit to the court if repaired and expanded to all three courts. The Commercial High Court's current infrastructure is not well-suited for interior space renovation due to its age and structure. As a temporary solution to the space problem, six metal storage containers (30' x 8') were installed for storage of active and closed case records. Mobile trailer units house court stenographers and an additional mobile unit acts as a file clerk staff area and attorney reference room. Records storage areas are in poor condition and should be a major renovation priority. The Registrar's administrative staff office is housed in an open 40' x 60' (approximately) room, which is overcrowded and has inadequate administrative staff work areas. Public access renovations, such as construction of a court intake counter at the entrance to the registrar's office, are a best practice in court design that should be considered to provide more efficient service to the public. The priority renovation needs and recommendations for the Commercial High Court include the following: 1. Active and Closed File Storage: The lack of records storage space is a priority problem area. Active and closed cases are stored in four temporary 40' x 8" metal containers, which are at or over capacity. Records storage containers are not air conditioned, which will lead to degradation of files and official court documents. One container is reportedly rodent infested and has large holes in the floor boards posing an immediate safety hazard. Recommendation 1.1: Approve the CHC plan for immediate addition of a new active records storage facility. An immediate priority should be to increase active record storage space to accommodate a minimum of three years of new case filings (estimated at 1,000 per year) to meet additional file requirements until construction of the new Commercial High Court facility is completed. Recommendation 1.2: Expand Active Records storage by refurbishing the existing Lawyers Reference/Staff Office (container) area. Immediate plans should also be made to refurbish the existing Lawyers' Reference/Office Staff area to become an active records storage area. Moving these offices to the new space provides an opportunity to convert this 320-square foot space for active records storage. The Chief Judge of the Commercial High Court and Technical Officer of the High Court have developed two options and preliminary engineering design drawings to add additional mobile trailer units (upgraded containers) to expand active records storage space (Attachment I). Option 2 is identified as the court's preferred option, which adds 960 square feet of additional file storage, staff office space, and a new Lawyers' Reference area in space located adjacent to the Registrar's Office. The design features include air conditioning, staff safety features (covered stairways), and improves file storage area design.