AG recommends committee to conduct post-mortem of deceased in Mahara riot

The Attorney General has recommended for the appointment of a panel of experts, to conduct the post-mortem on the deceased of the Mahara Prison Riot, State Counsel Nishara Jayaratne making submissions in the court said.

The Attorney General's Department and Sri Lanka Police were represented by the State Counsel in the court today.

Jayaratne said the Attorney General wanted three Senior Judicial Medical Officers and a Ballistic Expert from the Government Analyst's Department in the panel.

Making submissions in the court, she said there is a risk of COVID-19 spreading in Ragama Hospital where the bodies of the prisoners killed in the Mahara Prison Riot are placed, as 08 of the victims had tested positive for the virus.

Making further submissions, the State Counsel noted following the post-mortem, the bodies will have to be cremated as per the given health guidelines.

Meanwhile, counsel for the aggrieved party had requested an additional doctor from a university be appointed to the committee.

The AGs Department had stressed the nominations for the committee were made by the Director-General of Health Services and the Government Analysts Department and vehemently objected to the appointments of an additional doctor from a university.

However, on the need to expedite the process, the Attorney General's Department said if the court issues an order, a request can be forwarded the President of the College of Forensic Pathologists of Sri Lanka to also make a nomination to the committee of experts.

State Counsel Jayaratne said Police Spokesperson DIG Ajith Rohana had written to the Attorney General on the December 06 (Sunday), requesting representation by the AGs Department at the Magistrate's Court for the case filed over the Mahara Prison Riot.