Justice Minister Ali Sabry has commended former MP Hirunika Premachandra for directing his attention to the needs of women with infants attending court sessions.

Issuing a message on Facebook, Minister Sabry acknowledging the difficulty faced by breastfeeding mothers, said no provisions have been made in the Court system for such an important part of life.

“I cannot put a value on the importance of motherhood, and accordingly no mother should have to face difficulties in accessing courthouses due to the need to feed their child,” he said.

The Justice Minister vowed that he was determined to ensure that there is no discrimination or bar to the access to justice and the Justice Ministry must work towards ensuring that it provides the facilities for infant care in its administration of justice system.

He further said that he was committed to this task, and assured that this will be given priority in the justice system reforms currently in progress.

The Colombo High Court had yesterday issued a warrant to arrest Premachandra for not appearing in court over a case filed on the abduction of a youth in Dematagoda in 2015.

Hirunika Premachandra later issued a clarification, stating that she was within the court premises, but was breastfeeding her 1 ½- month -old child inside her vehicle at the time of being summoned.

She further pointed out that the courts did not have an allocated space for women with infants who are required to attend court sessions, and had called on the Justice Minister to address the situation.