The Supreme Court yesterday fixed for argument, a Fundamental Rights petition filed by the school boy who had been arrested over the killing of Seya Sadevmi of Kotadeniyawa.
Supreme Court three-judge-bench headed by Chief Justice Priyasath Dep fixed the petition for argument on May 14, 2018.
In his petition, Welegedara Suranjan Pradeep Senevirathne, the 17-year-old school boy alleged that police officers have violated his fundamental rights following his arrest. On March 24, 2016, the Supreme Court granted leave to proceed with this fundamental rights petition.
The petitioner Welegedara Suranjan Pradeep Senevirathne seeks Rs.10 million as compensation against the infringement of his fundamental rights by police.
The petitioner had cited Sujith Udayakumara the OIC of Kotadeniyawa police Station, Jayantha Athukorala,ASP of Negombo Division, D. U. Lasantha Rathnayake the Chief Inspector of Police Criminal Investigation Department, the IGP and the Attorney General as respondents.
The petitioner alleged that while he was under police custody he was subject to torture and cruel, inhuman, degrading treatment by police in violation of the constitution. He further alleged that he was illegally arrested and detained under police custody without reasonable grounds.
He alleged that police attempted to force a confession out of the petitioner by subjecting him to cruel inhuman degrading treatment and punishment including the threat of killing the petitioner.
He was seeking an order to initiate an independent prosecution or appropriate penal action against the respondents for the violations of Fundamental Rights of the Petitioner. President's Counsel Saliya Peiris with Counsel Thisya Weragoda and Iresh Seneviratne appeared for the school boy.