The Fort Magistrate's Court has referred six political figures and an academic to the Court of Appeal for potential contempt of court proceedings following statements made during a July protest against the arrest of former State Intelligence Service Director Suresh Salley.
Fort Magistrate Pasan Amarasekara has ordered that facts be reported to the Court of Appeal to initiate contempt of court proceedings against politicians Wimal Weerawansa, Udaya Gammanpila, Sugishwara Bandara, Dilith Jayaweera, and Asanka Navaratne, as well as Senior Lecturer Mahinda Pathirana.
The referral stems from public statements allegedly made by these individuals between July 7 and 15 during a satyagraha campaign protesting the arrest of former State Intelligence Service Director Suresh Salley in connection with ongoing investigations into the Easter Sunday attacks. The Criminal Investigation Department presented its findings to the court after investigating the matter.
Upon reviewing the submissions, Magistrate Amarasekara determined that the statements in question appeared to contain criticism of judicial proceedings currently underway. Based on this assessment, the court decided to refer the case to the Court of Appeal for the institution of contempt of court proceedings against the individuals involved.
The contempt of court mechanism is typically invoked when statements or actions are deemed to undermine or obstruct the administration of justice. The referral to the higher court represents a formal step in determining whether the alleged statements meet the legal threshold for such proceedings.
