Justice for Ishalini : Suspects remanded & Court orders probe into Police Media

COLOMBO (News 1st); Colombo Additional Magistrate Rajindra Jayasuriya on Monday (09) rejected an application for bail filed on behalf of Ex-Minister Rishad Bathiudeen's wife and three others.

She ordered the suspects to be further remanded to the 23rd of August 2021.

The Ex-Minister’s Wife, Father-in-Law, Brother-in-Law, and broker, Ponniah Bandaram alias Shankar were arrested following investigations over the death of 16-year-old Jude Kumar Ishalini, who died while employed at the Ex-Minister's residence in Colombo.

The Inspector-General of Police was ordered to carry out a special investigation with regard to investigative material over the death and rape of Jude Kumar Ishalini being released to the media before facts were reported to the court.

The IGP was ordered to produce a report to the court with regard to the said investigation.

In addition, the Police Chief was also ordered by the Additional Magistrate to ensure steps are taken to prevent investigative material from being released to the media before facts are presented to the court.

The order was made following submissions by Deputy Solicitor General Dileepa Peiris who appeared for the prosecution and noted that investigations are complex in nature and therefore releasing details to the media by the Police Media Unit and other divisions before matters are reported to the court and necessary orders are obtained, is an obstruction to the investigations.

The Additional Magistrate affirmed that considerable damage is caused to the progress of the investigations as matters are publicized by the media even before the detective report to the court and execute the orders that are given.

She added that this paves the way for the suspects to evade police.

Further, the Additional Magistrate said the court observed that the defense is exerting influence on the aggrieved party, by obtaining telephone records of one of the witnesses for the prosecution without permission or an order from the court, and by using police officers.

The Additional Magistrate also pointed out that if bail was granted to the suspects before the second postmortem report is made available, the suspects would use narrow political, social, and financial power to exert influence on the investigations and the witnesses of the prosecution.

The Additional Solicitor General in his submissions stated that Ishalini is now more powerful than when she was alive and it is the responsibility of all to ensure that no other person experiences such an unfortunate end.

Deputy Solicitor General Dileepa Peiris also told the court that Ishalini was admitted to the Colombo National Hospital on the 03rd of July 2021 and at 11:20 AM she was examined by a doctor who noted that she was conscious and aware of her surroundings, however, three doctors who examined her before had noted that she was only in a position to state her name.

He said a statement will also be recorded from the doctor in question, who is currently overseas.