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Sanath Nishantha ordered to  appear on every court date

14 Oct 2022

  • CoA recalls arrest warrant for non-appearance in court after he surrenders   
BY Buddhika Samaraweera Following State Minister of Water Supply Sanath Nishantha Perera’s surrender to the Court of Appeal (CoA) through his attorneys yesterday (13) after an arrest warrant was issued by the court against the minister for failing to appear in court, the CoA recalled the arrest warrant and gave him a strict warning. After taking into consideration two petitions that have been filed by the Judicial Service Association of Sri Lanka (JSASL) and two lawyers – Priyalal Sirisena and Vijitha Kumara – alleging that Perera had made a statement in contempt of court and seeking necessary action against him, the CoA had earlier issued summons to Perera to appear before the court yesterday to explain regarding why he should not be punished over the charges against him. When the relevant cases were taken up before CoA Judges Justices Nissanka Bandula Karunarathna and R. Gurusinghe, Perera had not appeared before the court. Accordingly, the CoA ordered the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to immediately arrest the suspect and produce him before court. Following the issuance of the arrest warrant, Perera surrendered to the court through his attorneys. The CoA then recalled the arrest warrant issued against the suspect, and strictly warned him that he should appear in court personally on every date of the proceedings. At a recent media briefing held at the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) headquarters in Colombo, Perera had made critical comments regarding the granting of bail by respective courts to activists who have been arrested by the Police and produced before courts with regard to the “aragalaya” (the people’s struggle) that demanded the resignation of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. In the application, the petitioners have mentioned that the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) had filed a case before the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court in connection with the attack on the public protest sites in front of the Temple Trees in Kollupitiya and at the Galle Face Green on 9 May, and that Perera has been named as a suspect in the relevant case. It is stated that Perera, who was arrested in connection with the incident, was remanded by the Colombo Fort Magistrate and later released on bail. The petitioners have alleged that respondent Perera has undermined the dignity of the judiciary and challenged the rule of law through the relevant statement and has acted to cause a lack of public trust in the judiciary. Accordingly, they have alleged that Perera has insulted the Judiciary under Article 105(3) of the Constitution.


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