The Civil High Court has denied former Social Democratic Liberal Party Member of Parliament Salote Radrodro’s application for leave to appeal. The case was reviewed by High Court Judge Justice Deepthi Amarantunga earlier this month.
Justice Amarantunga noted that Radrodro was convicted based on evidence presented during the trial. The judge addressed concerns regarding the alleged denial of a fair trial, which stemmed from the transfer of the case from the Magistrate’s Court to a division of the High Court. He stated that any claims regarding the merits of this allegation could be adequately handled in an appeal by the Court of Appeal, and that seeking constitutional redress was unsuitable for this determination due to considerations of efficiency, consistency, and fairness.
According to the background of the case, Radrodro had filed an application for leave to appeal an interlocutory decision that struck down her request for constitutional redress related to an alleged abuse of process. Initially charged in the Magistrates Court, Radrodro objected to the transfer of her case to a division of the High Court, but her appeal on that decision was unsuccessful.
The court found that her claims regarding the denial of a fair trial due to the case’s transfer are grounds for appeal in the Court of Appeal. However, the High Court ultimately ruled against Radrodro’s application for leave to appeal and issued no orders regarding costs.