Nipuna Ramanayake case:

Crime Division directed to obtain AG’s advice

Sarath Malalasekera

Kaduwela Additional District Judge R.A. Ranaraja yesterday directed the Police Headquarters Crime Division who is conducting investigations into the alleged assault on SLIIT student Nipuna Ramanayake to obtain advice from the Attorney General in connection with their ongoing investigations and submit a comprehensive report to Court on the next date, October 13.

Judge Ranaraja refused an application for bail in respect of some of the suspects including the wife of former CC Director Senior SP Vaas Gunawardena and other eight suspects, all police personnel, and remanded them till October 13.

Citing several authorities Judge Ranaraja observed that the Court had not received the final report of the investigations to consider the application for bail in respect of some of the suspects.

At the outset SP Neil Hettiarachchi filing a further report in connection with their investigations said that the dossier of the investigations had been forwarded to the Attorney General and his instructions were being awaited to conduct further investigations.

The Police obtained an order from the Court to question Constable Amila Seneviratne who had obtained a weapon with ten live bullets for security purposes of Senior SP Vaas Gunawardena.

Attorneys-at-Law, S. Wellappeli and Ananda Rajapakse who appeared for some of the suspects moving for bail submitted to Court that according to the investigations carried out by the police there is not an iota of evidence to charge them in connection with the assault on Nipuna Ramanayake.

Attorney Hemantha Wettasinghe, who watched the interests of the injured student’s family members, submitted that the student had been abducted by several persons and assaulted, causing serious injuries to him. In this respect the Attorney General’s advice is of paramount importance, he said.

Parents of the injured student were also present during the proceedings.

Police Crime Headquarters OIC, Chief Inspector O.K.T. Nanayakkara with OIC Athurugiriya Chief Inspector Anil Jayantha, Inspector Rajapakse and SI R.H. Liyanarachchi also appeared for the prosecution. Attorneys Hemantha Wettasinghe, Hemapala Ekanayake, D.G.P. Karunaratne, Luxmi Diddeniya, Priyanka Abeyratne watched the interest of the injured student.