Indictments ready for Pillayan

The Attorney General has informed the Supreme Court that an indictment is currently being prepared to be filed against the former Chief Minister of the Eastern Province, Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias 'Pillayan', who was arrested and remanded under the Prevention of Terrorism Act. These facts were revealed by Deputy Solicitor General Suharshi Herath, appearing for the Attorney General, when the fundamental rights petition filed by Pillayan, claiming that his arrest and detention were illegal, was taken up for hearing.

The petition was heard before a three-judge Supreme Court bench comprising Justices Mahinda Samayawardena, Arjuna Obeyesekere, and Gihan Kulatunga. There, President's Counsel Manohara de Silva, appearing for the petitioner along with Attorney-at-Law Udaya Gammanpila, submitted to the court that his fundamental rights had been violated because the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) did not explain the reasons for his arrest at the time of apprehension. He also argued that there were no legal provisions under the Prevention of Terrorism Act to arrest him based on the disappearance of a professor from the Eastern University about nineteen years ago. Furthermore, the President's Counsel stated that the process of obtaining detention orders from the President, as the Minister of Defence, was entirely contrary to the law, as the Criminal Investigation Department had not presented sufficient satisfactory evidence.

Responding to these allegations, the Deputy Solicitor General stated that investigating officers had verbally informed the petitioner of the relevant reasons both at the time of arrest and when recording statements. She also stated that strong evidence against the petitioner had been uncovered through investigations regarding the operation of an illegal camp in the Sevanapitiya area of Polonnaruwa, where opponents and various individuals were harassed. The Deputy Solicitor General further informed the court that there was eyewitness testimony that Professor Subramaniam Raveendranath of the Eastern University was murdered within that camp, as well as confidential statements given by two arrested suspects before a Magistrate. Therefore, she confirmed that detention orders had been legally obtained based on the information revealed by the investigations, and that there was no law requiring copies of statements to be submitted to the President for this purpose.

The three-judge Supreme Court bench, having considered the submissions of both parties, ordered the Deputy Solicitor General to submit copies of the relevant witnesses' statements to the court in a sealed envelope. Additionally, the bench informed the parties to file any written submissions related to the case before June 22, and also decided to postpone the announcement of the decision regarding the petition.