(Lanka-e-News- 10.Oct.2015, 11.45PM) In the brutal cold blooded murder of journalist Prageeth Ekneliyagoda following his abduction, the wives of the four suspects (army officers including two lieutenants now in custody), filed a habeas corpus writ application in the appeal court requesting court to issue an order to produce the suspects in court .
When the appeal court heard the petition for the second day, since the Director CID , and the respondents in this appeal did not appear in court yesterday (09), notices were issued on them again , to explain in court on the 16 th why they were not present.
This writ application was taken for trial before appeal court president justice Vijitha Malalgoda.
It is significant to note that , the habeas corpus writ petition similary filed by wife of Prageeth (abducted and murdered), no court took this measure to issue notice on the police any day during the last five years .
In this writ application filed by T . Sudharshani , P. Nadheeka , P. Niyomi and M. Kumararatne , the wives of the suspects, Director CID Sugath Nagahamulla, OIC of mass robbery division J.V. Niroshan Silva , ASP Sherni Abeysekera , the defense secretary , the IGP and the attorney general have been cited as respondents.
The petitioners have averred in the petition that their husbands staff sergeant , R.M. Priyantha Kumara, Corporal Anura Jayalath, and lieutenant colonels T.T.D. Pramodh Siriwardena and S.A. Kumararatne of the SrI Lanka army, were taken into custody on the 24 th by the CID , and based on a court order they were detained from 27 th August until 10 th September under the prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA).They have alleged that such detention is illegal since they cannot be detained for more than 24 hours . The petitioners therefore requested the appeal court to issue an order that the fundamental rights of the suspects (their husbands) have been violated.
Terrorizing civilians in order to win the goals of those terrorizing is what is called terrorism. Whether that is resorted to by the Guerilla groups , the members of the forces in uniform , or by an army group in official uniforms that caused the abduction and murder of unarmed journalist Prageeth Ekneliyagoda , it is terrorism doubtless.
It is worthy of note , this group that committed the brutal and ruthless crimes pertaining to Ekneliyagoda were held in detention under the PTA, only after immense and intense pressure were mounted by the people. Detentions under that Act are not illegal ,and those in custody have to be produced before the magistrate every month.
The more grave the case , simply more payment is all what is required to rig the case in the appeal court, brokers involved in the deals say.
---------------------------
by (2015-10-10 21:10:04)
Leave a Reply