The Colombo Additional Magistrate questioned how the arrest and request to remand individuals who shared videos related to recent Maaveerar Naal commemorations can be justified without first investigating those who created and uploaded the videos.
The Magistrate observed that this approach is akin to “shooting the messenger.”
Colombo Additional Magistrate Manjula Ratnayake made these remarks while granting bail to Renuka Perera, the Administrative Secretary of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, who was arrested by the CID for allegedly spreading false information regarding the Maaveerar Naal commemorations.
The suspect was released on two sureties of one million rupees each, as ordered by the Additional Magistrate.
The Magistrate further directed the CID to investigate those who organized the commemorations and to arrest and produce them in court.
The CID informed the court that the suspect was arrested in connection with sharing video clips of celebrations held in Australia via Facebook and that no such celebrations had occurred in Sri Lanka’s Northern Province.
The defence counsel argued that the Minister of Public Security had admitted in Parliament that Maaveerar Naal celebrations had taken place in the Northern Province this year.
Defence Counsel further informed that the Minister had stated there were 244 such celebrations and 10 instances where the LTTE flag was displayed.
After considering the arguments from both sides, the Additional Magistrate inquired whether the CID had investigated the individuals who created and initially posted the video shared by the suspect.
The investigating officers responded that no such investigation had been conducted.
Further magisterial inquiry fixed for June 10.
LAKMAL SOORIYAGODA Daily Mirror
Jaffna youth and Colombo political activist released on bail over Maveerar Naal SM posts
Thursday, 5 December 2024 01:26 –
The Jaffna Magistrate’s Court yesterday granted bail to a suspect arrested under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) for posting a photograph of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) leader late Velupillai Prabhakaran on a social media platform to coincide with Maveerar Naal commemorations.
The youth, identified as Manoharan Kajendraroopan, a resident of Inuvil West, Chunnakam, was apprehended by the Police Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) and had been in remand custody for 72 hours before being presented to Magistrate A.A. Anandaraja. Represented by lawyer Kanagaratnam Sugash, he was granted bail with a foreign travel ban and a bail amount set at Rs. 200,000.
In a separate but related case, the Colombo Magistrate’s Court granted bail to Kelum Jayasumana, who had been arrested for sharing a social media post showing a person commemorating Maveerar Naal, a day associated with remembrance of the North and East war dead. Jayasumana had also contested in the recently concluded Parliamentary Election, representing the National Democratic Front (NDF) from the Kurunegala district.
Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officers alleged that the suspect had reposted a photo originally shared by a Sri Lankan-origin French woman, which contained proscribed LTTE symbols.
The CID argued that the post disrupted public order and ethnic harmony, though they admitted that no such events were held in the North. During the hearing, Colombo Magistrate Thilina Gamage questioned the lack of evidence demonstrating a public disturbance. He criticised the CID for seeking further remand without concrete evidence, stating that suspects could not be detained solely based on presumptions.
As a result, Jayasumana was released on two surety bails, with the case scheduled for further hearing on 3 April 2025.