Judge Ilanchelian orders army commander to appear in court

Judge Ilanchelian orders army commander to appear in court

A case which was taken up yesterday (15) in connection with 24 persons who were missing after being taken into custody by security forces on the 19th of July, 1996 during the period of the war. When this case was heard in the presence of High Court judge of Jaffna, Mr. M. Ilanchelian, an order was issued that the army

commander appear before courts.

The said case was filed by kith and kin of the missing persons the latter of whom were taken into custody by the security forces. The petitioners said that the referred to case was filed in relation to a group of young people who had disappeared in Nawatikuli area, Jaffna on the 19th July, 1996.

On hearing the case, the High Court judge said that in order to extract evidence, Mr. Duminda Keppetiwalana, commanding officer of Nawatikuli Army Camp in the year 1996 as the 1st witness, the army commander as the 2d witness and Attorney General as the 3rd witness are summoned. The High Court judge ordered the army commander and others to appear before courts on next 18th. In this connection a case is being heard at Anuradhapura High Court about missing persons. On an inquiry made from security forces in Jaffna in relation to the incident, what they said was that a group of relatives of missing persons had once again filed a case to the effect that such a crowd was missing. What Jaffna security forces said was that a case had been filed with Jaffna High Court in the year 2002 regarding some people missing and that the preliminary hearing concerning those missing persons was conducted in the year 2002 at Chavakachcheri District Court.

The security forces further added that when the case was in progress at Chavakachcheri District Court, as a result of a petition filed in Supreme Court by the then army commander, inquiry into the case was transferred to Anuradhapura High Court. Though the case was heard at Anuradhapura High Court from year 2003 and no conclusion was arrived at, kith and kin of the missing persons had filed a fresh case at Jaffna High Court across lawyers.