The house of Chamuditha Samarawickrema, a senior journalist in Sri Lanka, was attacked on 14th of February 2022. Following the attack, Chamuditha had requested the Kesbewa Magistrate’s Court to grant him state protection in connection with the threat to his life. The request was made through a motion and the case was taken up in the same court today (25).
A team of lawyers along with President’s Counsel Kuvera de Zoysa appeared for the rights of the aggrieved Chamuditha Samarawickrema. They told the court that almost two months after the incident, no suspects had been arrested and that they could not be satisfied with the police investigation.
The Kesbewa Magistrate also addressed the police and asked them why the suspects had not been arrested after such a long time. In response, the police said that the CCTV footage obtained had been forwarded to the University of Moratuwa and that action would be taken on the number plates as soon as the results were received.
Accordingly, the Kesbewa Magistrate ordered the police to arrest the suspects immediately and produce them before the court. The case is being re-assigned to another day, the 27th of April. President’s Counsel Kuvera de Zoysa, who was representing the victim Samarawickrema at the time, addressed the court and requested that an order be issued to hand over the investigation to the CID if the suspects had not been arrested on that day.
Accordingly, the case is scheduled to be heard again in open court on 27th of April 2022.
Ravana Note
Chamuditha Samarawickrema had also complained to the IGP in July 2021 that he had received threats. This incident took place about 7 months after the complaint. It is imperative that the police carry out proper investigations without allowing the police to point a finger as there is video evidence of such an assault and the assault that has been reported in the past as well. Failure to do so will result in people looking at it from different angles and making wrong decisions.
