Wimal, Udaya, Dilith & Others Named in Contempt Case

COLOMBO (News 1st); Wimal Weerawansa, Udaya Gammanpila, Sugeeshwara Bandara, Dilith Jayaweera, Asanka Navaratne and Senior Lecturer Mahinda Pathirana were today ordered by the Fort Magistrate's Court to be reported to the Court of Appeal over allegations of contempt of court.

The order relates to statements allegedly made in public between July 7 and July 15 during a Satyagraha campaign protesting against the arrest of former Director of State Intelligence Suresh Salley in connection with investigations into the Easter Sunday attacks.

The allegations concern comments said to have been made in a manner critical of ongoing judicial proceedings.

The Criminal Investigation Department today reported facts relating to its investigation into the matter before Fort Magistrate Pasan Amarasena.

Following the submissions, the Magistrate's Court observed that, at first glance, the statements made by the individuals appeared to contain criticism of the judicial process.

Accordingly, the court decided to seek the institution of proceedings before the Court of Appeal against the individuals concerned on allegations of contempt of court.