Kurunduwatta OIC gets reprimanded for attending the case of a road blockade caused by Wimal Weerawansa in 2016.

Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama yesterday (19) issued a notice to the OIC of the Minor Complaints Division of Kurunduwatta Police, ordering him to appear before the court on March 09 and present facts regarding the case against former National Freedom Front (NFF) Member of Parliament Wimal Weerawansa and six other members of his party.

This order was issued after the police were severely questioned in open court regarding the essential procedures that must be followed when filing a criminal case.

The Chief Magistrate, who questioned the prosecution on this matter, pointed out that essential processes for a criminal case, such as the presence of investigating officers, conducting site inspections, recording statements from investigating officers, and recording statements from officers who arrested the suspects, were absent in this complaint. The Magistrate also emphasized that no officer has yet given evidence in court.

Furthermore, Kurunduwatta Police informed the court that this complaint was filed by the Minor Complaints Division. Subsequently, as the OIC of the Minor Complaints Division was not present in court, the Magistrate ordered a notice to be issued to him.

This complaint was filed regarding a protest held on February 06, 2016, in front of the United Nations office and in areas including Thummulla, blocking roads, to oppose the visit of UN Human Rights Commissioner Prince Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein to Sri Lanka. This case was filed by Kurunduwatta Police against the commission of an offense punishable under the Thoroughfares Ordinance and the Police Ordinance. Suspects Wimal Weerawansa, Jayantha Samaraweera, Weerakumara Dissanayake, Piyasiri Wijeyanayake, Roger Seneviratne, and Mohamed Musammil appeared in court, and two private bus drivers testified that the incident caused a road obstruction.

A panel of lawyers, including President's Counsel Jayantha Weerasinghe and Attorney Anton Senanayake, appeared in court on behalf of the defendants. The further hearing of this case has been postponed to March 09.