Patali Champika demands mattress instead of mat -- comes out two hours for whole day

Patali Champika demands mattress instead of mat -- comes out two hours for whole day

Former minister Patali Champika was accused on charges of committing a road accident which rendered a young man incapacitated and also for having produced another person in order to cover up relevant information. On being arrested, the following day it was ordered that he be sent to remand prison for 5 days.

Whatever it is, attorneys at law of former minister Champika though asked for bail, the request was rejected and it is special to note that no request was made for admission to be hospitalised. Under such circumstances he had to direct his way to a prison cell. Subsequently the former minister was escorted to Welikada remand prison last afternoon (19). On that occasion he was admitted to prison ward 'M' under strict protection, prison sources have reported.

Prison sources have further reported that Champika is in that ward all alone in a cell and that a jailor has been posted to be in charge of the cell concerned. In the meantime, to sleep on he has been provided with an ordinary mat. Champika has inquired from the prison doctor whether it would be possible to secure a mattress instead of a mat and consent has been granted for it. Further, a cup, a plate and a bed sheet has been allowed him to be brought from outside.

It was reported that this prison cell is locked up at 5 in the evening and is once again opened at 6 the following morning. The prisoner is given the opportunity to come out for an hour both in the morning and evening hours for physical exercises and for ventilation purposes. It is further reported that cell No. 'M' where Champika is detained is situated in a security zone and that it is drug traffickers who are found in attached 'M' 1 and 'M' 2 categories.

UNP members of parliament, Hector Appuhamy and Kavinda Jayawardena have visited former minister Patali last evening to prison. In the meantime speaker Karu Jayasuriya has released an announcement pointing out that taking members of parliament into custody without notifying the speaker is a violation of parliamentary procedures.