Supreme Court Declares Detention Order Issued By Gota As Unlawful

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Supreme Court today (18) ruled that a detention order issued by former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa under the Prevention of Terrorism Act was entirely unlawful.

The order had been used to detain and investigate a woman in connection with a heroin possession case in 2020.

The woman was arrested for possessing heroin in 2020.

The Supreme Court ordered the government to pay her Rs. 100,000 in compensation for the violation of her fundamental rights.

The ruling was made in response to a fundamental rights petition filed by Kanchana Priyadarshani Madurapperuma, a resident of Henagama, Pokunuwita, who was arrested by the Peliyagoda Special Investigation Unit.

The judgment was delivered by a bench of Supreme Court judges, including Dilip Nawaz and Mahinda Samayawardhana, with Justice S. Thurairaja presiding.

The petition stated that the woman and her brother were arrested on January 3, 2020, in Bandaragama by officers from the Peliyagoda Special Investigation Unit.