Video: Justice served in two spoons; Baratha’s sister

16 October 2012 12:47 pm

The sisters of the late Baratha Lakshman Premachandra said today that justice is being served in two spoons as the law applies differently to the rich.

“The law in this country applies to the rich in one way and the poor in another. There is no equality and justice in this country. You people are normal people imagine if something of this kind happens to you, the law will apply differently to those who have money. If you have money you could escape after committing any crime. That is the political situation in this country,” they said.

She also said that  many people were trying to cleanse the murder by being extra nice to the aggrieved party.
Speaking outside court Swarna Gunarathne a sister of the late former Presidential advisor and another sibling said that “charity is no substitute for justice withheld”.



Meanwhile the counsel of former presidential adviser Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra’s body guard complained of double standards in the
investigations carried out by the CID into the killing of four people including Mr. Premachandra at Mullriyawa.

Counsel Jagath Abeynayake made this complaint to Colombo Additional Magistrate Prasanna De Alwis.

He is appearing for MSD officer Rajapurage Gamini who functioned as Mr. Premachandra’s bodyguard at the time of the shooting.

The counsel said immediately after the incident his client who was admitted to the Police Hospital with severe injuries sustained to his
skull and the eye was taken into CID custody and remanded. The counsel said, however another suspect who had received the same
amount of injuries during the incident is enjoying comfortable treatment in a five-star hotel-like hospital in Singapore. He said
while his client was arrested while at the Police Hospital and remanded it was not so with the other suspect.

The counsel said this was how the law was implemented in this country. “It is because of the influence, the political authority and the
social status of the suspects,” he said.

The counsel informed the Magistrate that his client’s injured eye had been removed and a prosthetic eye implanted. The specialist doctors
who treated his client had advised that he should not be moved out of the prison hospital to a normal cell without their advice but the
Prison doctor had arbitrarily sent the patient back to the normal cell ignoring the specialist’s advice.

The counsel asked court to direct the doctor to state on what authority that she had ignore the specialist’s opinion. He said the
court was the domain for the layman to seek redress and there was no other place for litigants to seek justice.

President’s Counsel Jayantha Weerasinghe appearing for suspect Chaminda said for one year the Police had been habitually stating that
the investigations were over and they are awaiting the AG’s advice to proceed further with the case.

He asked CID ASP Shani Abeysekera what problems the Police were having in proceeding further with the trial. He said because of this
unnecessary delay on the part of the CID the suspects were being kept in remand.

Counsel Upul Kumarapperuma watching the interest of Mr. Premachandra’s wife said in this country the law is executed in two different ways.

“They enforce the law on the common man in one way and in a different way on the elite,” he said. He said on every inquiry date the police
came to court and said that they had sought the advice of AG on the matter.

President Counsel HemanthaWarnakulasuriya appearing for Duminda Silva said he needed to make certain clarifications to the submissions made
by the counsel. He said his client was taken to Singapore prior to him being named as a suspect in the killing.

Suspect Armbawelaga Don Kawshan Dananjana Madusanka Silva informed court to allow him to make statement in court.

Magistrate Prasanna Alwis ordered the Police to hand over the investigations report extracts to the Attorney General and  ordered the Prison Superintendent to file a report in Court  showing cause for not adhering the specialist’s order on the suspect Gamini. The
suspects were remanded till October 30. (FT)