They Got It So Wrong: Police Busted in Dharma Chakra Dress Debacle

The gavel has dropped — and this time, it wasn’t the usual suspect on trial. Sri Lanka’s top cops just got a reality check straight from the Supreme Court. And it's the kind of story that’s got legal circles whispering and civil rights groups quietly cheering.

Back in 2019, a woman named Abdul Rahim Masahina from Kolongoda had the police show up at her doorstep — all because she wore a dress with a design that someone thought looked like a Buddhist Dharma Chakra. The police weren’t just offended — they arrested her under the ICCPR Act, usually meant for hate speech or threats to religious harmony.

But here’s the twist: the design? It wasn’t even a Dharma Chakra. It was just a steering wheel – you know, like something off a pirate ship, or your average naval badge.

Oops.

The Court Swings Back

This week, the Supreme Court dropped the hammer. In a strongly worded ruling, Justice Yasantha Kodagoda, with Justices Kumuduni Wickramasinghe and Shiran Gunaratne backing him up, declared the arrest a blatant violation of Masahina’s fundamental rights.

And then came the kicker: the Hasalaka Police OIC, Inspector Chandana Nishantha, must personally pay Rs. 30,000 to the victim — out of his own pocket. No public funds. No police welfare bailouts. Straight from his wallet.

Guidelines Coming: No More Dress-Guessing Arrests?

The Supreme Court has now told the IGP to get serious and lay down proper guidelines — with the Attorney General’s nod — on how the ICCPR Act should be enforced at police stations. Translation: No more "what does that look like to me?" arrests.

Because let’s be honest — if a steering wheel can trigger a blasphemy scare, what next? A t-shirt with a wheel of cheese?

The Real Gossip? Who Was Pressuring Whom

Legal sources are already gossiping about what really sparked the arrest — was it pressure from a local religious lobby? Overzealous moral policing? Or just one too many people trying to show off their “patriotism” at someone else’s expense?

Insiders say this case is being whispered about in legal clubs as “the steering wheel scandal”, and it might just become a case study in policing gone wrong.

Masahina Walks Free – and Proud

Thanks to her lawyer, Pulasti Hewamanna, Masahina now holds the moral (and legal) high ground. Wrongfully arrested, publicly shamed, and held up as a villain — now vindicated by the highest court in the land.

And here’s the takeaway: Sometimes justice doesn’t just turn — it spins. This time, the wheel pointed squarely at the people wearing the uniform.