Dehiwala train blast trial postponed

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 02 March 1999, 16:15 GMT]
When the Dehiwala Train Bomb Blast Case came up for hearing before the Colombo High Court Judge Chandradasa Nanayakara today afternoon, the prosecution informed the court that the sixth accused, Kamalakumar Prathapan had left the country.

State Counsel Chathiya Gunasekara told court that they intended to contact Interpol through the C.I.D. to extradite the accused who was staying in Switzerland.

The seven accused in the case - Antony Robert Maxellan, Saverimuttu Jogarajan, Chitrasenan Thirumagal, Sinnappu Selvarajah, Yogarajah Arokkiyarajah, Kamalakumar Prathapan and Suppiah Sritharan have been indicted with several charges including conspiracy and the murder of 64 passengers by exploding a bomb in the Colombo-Dehiwala train on 24.07.1996.

The High Court Judge allowed an application made by the defence counsel for the seventh accused, to permit his client to talk to his sister who had come from Saudi Arabia, after the adjournment of the court.

The Court then allowed another application, permitting the seventh and third accused, who are husband and wife to talk to each other in the court premises, after its adjournment, when their counsel informed the court that they had not been allowed to meet in remand as they were kept in different cells.