Summons on a judge

By Upali Ananda


Summons has been issued on a Chief Magistrate and four Senior CID Officers to be present in Court on October 04 to give evidence at the special High Court hearing on the killing of twenty nine people including Major General Janaka Perera by a suicide bomber.

This is the first time such an order had been issued. The summons was issued by the North Central Province High Court Judge, Meneka Wijesundera, when the case on the assassination of Major General Janaka Perera and twenty eight others was taken for hearing today.

Accordingly, the Chief Magistrate of Anuradhapura, Dharshika Wimalasiri, Superintendent of Police of the CID B.D.S.R.Nagahmulla, Police Inspectors Pushpi and Mohamed and Sergeant ( 14209 ) Mendis also of the CID are expected to  give evidence before the Provincial High Court of Anuradhapura in October.

The accused in this case made confessions confidentially before Magistrate Dharshika Wimalasiri when the preliminary hearing was held at the Anuradhapura Magisterial Court.

The two accused were produced before the High Court for the first time after filing indictment. The Indictment consisting of 48 charges were handed over to the  two accused in the open court and the Counsel Ubhaya Wickramaratne representing the  rights of the petitioner presented facts and informed the court that the Attorney General  is against granting bail to the accused.

The High Court Judge ordered the two accused Umar Habtab and S.Sudhaharan to be further remanded. Major General Janaka Perera and twenty eight others were killed by the suicide bomber on 06th October 2008.

Out of the ten suspects held in custody, eight were released on bail as there was not enough evidence to charge them. The Attorney General recommended their release.

The preliminary hearings of the case were held before the Magistrates – Ruchira Weliwatte and Dharshika Wimalasiri.