Supreme Court orders the government and police to pay Rs. 200,000 as damage for torturing a soldier

Supreme Court of Sri Lanka ordered the Officer-in-Charge of Hettipola police station and the Crime Officer-in-Charge of the same police station to pay Rs. 50,000 each personally as the damage for violating the human rights of a soldier.

Additionally, the government was ordered to pay another Rs. 100,000 as damage.  

The two officials arrested the soldier in July 2011 suspecting he had been an Army deserter and tortured him. His mother submitted a letter that stated he had legally resigned from the Army. But police continued to torture him and he was remanded for five months. 

The victim is Don Samantha Kumara. The judgment was delivered by a panel of Supreme Court judges comprising Priyantha Jayawardana, L.T.B. Dehideniya and S. Thurairajah. 

Police pays Rs. 200,000 damage to a tortured man in Anuradhapura

Supreme Court of Sri Lanka recently ordered the Inspector General of Police to pay the damage of Rs. 100,000 to a young man as compensation for violating his human rights by brutally assaulting and breaking an arm after taking him into custody on 25 September 2013. 

Two other police officers, the former Headquarters Inspector of Anuradhapura police station and a Sub Inspector were ordered to Rs. 50,000 each personally to the victim. These two police officers had assaulted the victim, broken bones in his shoulder and threatened to kill him and to arrest his family if he revealed facts about torture.

The bench of three judges of Supreme Court comprised of Buwaneka Aluvihare, Murdu Fernando and S.S. Thurairajah decided that the plaintiff's human rights under section 11 of the constitution have been violated. 

Counsel Thanuka Nandasiri appeared for the plaintiff. 

(Source: Lankadeepa Sinhala newspaper 5-11-2020)