Fresh autopsy for exhumed body

Sarath Malalasekera

The Homagama Additional District Judge directed the Homagama Police to send the exhumed body of Vajira Niranga Jayasinghe of Godagama to the Colombo JMO for a fresh autopsy report to obtain the cause of the death.

The Judge made this order after lengthy submissions by Senior Attorney-at-Law Upali Senaratne who watched the interests of the decease's family. Senior Attorney Senaratne submitted that the Homagama JMO's report is contradictory to the report submitted by the Homagama Coroner.

The Homagama JMO's report stated that death was due to Hypertension ischaemia. But the Coroner's report stated that death was due to asphyxia due to drowning.

The body of Niranga Jayasinghe who went missing was found by an Army officer near the Godagama Junction culvert.

Half of the body was inside the culvert and the other part of body and the leg was on the main road. Senior Attorney Senaratne pointed out that according to the evidence that there was no water in the culvert where the body was found. As such the Coroner couldn't have returned a verdict of death due to drowning. According to Kusumawathie, mother of Niranga, her son had several disputes with his wife and there was a court case also.

She said that her daughter-in-law was working in Homagama Hospital as an Attendant and she had no faith in the JMO's report.

On a complaint made by the Kusumawathie the body of her son was exhumed and sent to the Colombo JMO for a fresh autopsy report. Senior Attorney Upali Senaratne appeared with Attorney Ranjith Arachchige.