A large Russian cargo aircraft arrives in Sri Lanka carrying relief assistance
The Supreme Court yesterday (Dec. 10) ordered 05 police officers to pay compensation to a farmer whose fundamental rights were violated through unlawful arrest, assault, and being produced before the Magistrate’s Court without reasonable cause.
Accordingly, 05 police officers, including the former OIC of Nochchiyagama Police were ordered to pay Rs.900,000 out of their own pocket.
The judgment was delivered by a three-Judge Bench comprising Justices S. Thurairaja, Kumuduni Wickramasinghe, and Sampath Wijeratne, after considering the Fundamental Rights petition filed by T. M. Lakshman Tennakoon, a farm owner and father of 02 from Nochchiyagama.
The police officers ordered to pay compensation are former OIC of Nochchiyagama Police – Chief Inspector Jayathilaka, Inspector R.M.S.C. Rathnayake, Police Sergeant Rathnayake, Police Sergeant Asela, and Police Constable Bandara.
According to the petition, Tennakoon was travelling by motorcycle to his farm around 12.00 noon on June 01, 2020, when he was arrested, subjected to inhuman assault, falsely charged, and produced before the Thambuttegama Magistrate’s Court.
Delivering the judgment, Justice Kumuduni Wickramasinghe, with the concurrence of the other judges, held that the officers had violated the petitioner’s fundamental rights.
Senior Deputy Solicitor General Lakmali Karunanayake appeared for the Attorney General, while Senior President’s Counsel Anil Silva, instructed by Attorney-at-Law Arindra Silva, represented the petitioner.
