Police fail to file charges

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 November 1999, 11:35 GMT]
The Batticaloa Additional District Judge yesterday discharged a suspect as the Police had failed to file a complaint due to lack of evidence against him.

The suspect, Kathiravan Chandrakumar was arrested by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers on 25 January 1998 and later handed over to the Counter Subversive Unit (CSU) of the Police. Kathiravan Chandrakumar had been detained without being charged in a court of law.

On behalf of the accused, his Attorney-at-Law Perinpam Premnath requested the Attorney General to release the accused or to charge him in a court of law as he was suffering in the prison for about 22 months.

Consequent to this appeal, the accused was produced before the Additional District Judge, Batticaloa, K. Thadchchanamoorthy, yesterday (17.11.1999).

When the case was taken up for inquiry, the Additional District judge questioned the police as to whether they were ready to file the complaint.

The police replied that they had no evidence to file a complaint.

Thereafter the Additional District Judge made the order, discharging the accused.