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Asoka Vidyalaya assault : Victim claims Rs. 2m in damages from Arjuna, Prasanna Ranatunga

by Indeewara Thilakarathne

One of the victims in the Asoka Vidyalaya assault is claiming Rs. 2 million as damages from former Sri Lankan Cricket captain Arjuna Ranatunga and Prasanna Ranatunga, defendants in the case for not-honouring an undertaking given in open Court.

In this case, plaintiff M.A Taridu Udayanga Perera has cited former Sri Lankan Cricket captain Arjuna Ranatunga and Prasanna Ranatunga as the 1st and 2nd defendants respectively.

The plaintiff states that he was a student of Asoka Vidyalaya in Maradana and on or around March 2,2001 , defendants with unknown persons came to Asoka Vidyalaya and abducted 11 students including the plaintiff and assaulted them.

The plaintiff further states that he agreed to an early settlement under pressure and influence of the defendants and that he was not fully aware of his legal rights and the possible consequences of the said settlement since he was a minor at the time.

The plaintiff claims that in terms of the settlement the 1st and the 2nd defendants agreed to pay a sum of Rs 1,60,000 as compensation to him. The defendants also agreed to pay a reasonable amount of money for medical or any other expences incurred resulting from the incident.

Although the amount agreed by the defendant was not sufficient to compensate for the trauma already suffered done and continues to suffer the plaintiff's father agreed to the said settlement on the basis of the undertaking given in the open court by the President's Counsel for the defendant that all medical and unforseen expenses stemming from the injuries would be met.

The plaintiff further states that the settlement was reached in open Court, having made a statement in open Court that the settlement would not be detrimental to the plaintiff's civil rights.

Accordingly, the defendants were aquitted and discharged after paying a sum of Rs 1,60,000 and another sum of Rs 40,000 to the other agrived parties.

The plaintiff further claims that he continued to suffer from the post-trauma of the incident well after the said settlement and got treatment from the Angoda Mental hospital. He was also unable to sit for the A/L examination held on March 2,2001. The plaintiff suffers from acute headaches and sleeplessness.

The plaintiff had spent a large amount of money on medical expences and that the defendants refused to pay the said amount as agreed in terms of the settlement though informed from time to time.The defendants even failed to respond to the letter sent on February 17,2003 to recover the said damage.

Therefore, the plaintiff valued this action for a sum of Rs.2 million and prays that a Court order be issued against the defendants, to pay a sum of Rs 2 million jointly and individualy with legal interests.

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Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
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