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Inoka Sevwandi murder: Appeal fixed for order

by Wasantha Ramanayake

The Bench of five Supreme Court Judges yesterday fixed the Inoka Sevwandi murder appeal for order.

The Bench comprised Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva PC, Justices Dr. Mrs. Shirani Bandaranayake, P. Edussuriya, H. S. Yapa, and Asoka de Silva.

The Deputy Solicitor General Priyasad Dep PC appearing for the State submitted that the exhuming of the victim Inoka Sevwandi's body from the garden of the accused Prabath Manabandhana's father, also where accused's house was located, gave ample evidence against the accused.

He also said that the statements alleged to have been made by the deceased were also supported by direct evidence given by witnesses; her mother, Nirosha and a state witness, who were given a conditional pardon. These evidence of the deceased are not only mere evidence, but also reveal her subsequent conduct. The hearsay evidence given by her mother that deceased was kept in house arrest by the accused, was evident in deceased's responses to those actions. This evidence was further corroborated by direct evidence of state witnesses.

Concluding his submissions, accused-appellants counsel Ranjith Abesuriya PC said that there was no evidence to support that the accused-appellant was the killer. The learned trial-judges had wrongfully considered the evidence in support of the general story as corroboration, which was infact not and the conviction was based on that.

The accused-appellant Prabath Manabandhana de Seram of Kurukulawa, Ragama was convicted and sentenced to Death by the Colombo High Court with committing the murder of the woman soldier Inoka Sevwandi Weerasekera of Pahala Karagahamuna Kadawatha, on or around September 2, 1999. The body of the victim was found buried in the home garden of the accused.

The Attorney General indicted the businessman Prabath Manabandhana de Seram and I. L. S. Sriyakanthi with committing the murder of Inoka Sevwandi. The latter was acquitted after the trial.

The Chief Justice referred the case to be heard before a Trail-at-Bar considering the grave nature of the crime and the public outcry against the accused.

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