Sri Lanka acting police chief, three others faulted by SC in torture case
COLOMBO – Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court has faulted Acting Police Chief Deshabandu Tennakoon and three others over torture and ordered them to pay 500,000 rupees each in compensation and directed disciplinary action be taken against them.
Justices ruled that the rights of the petitioner Weheragederal Ranjith Sumangala had been violated by the police officers. At the time Tennakoon was a Superintendent of Police.
The petitioner had complained he had been repeatedly beaten and hung by his hands until he was forced to make admissions to avoid further torture after being arrested by officers of the Mirihana police station.
He was also forced to inhale from a bag of chilli powder and beaten with poles until they broke. On other occasions, he was beaten by “three-wheeler belts”.
“The kind of conduct on display, judged even by the lowest of standards, amounts to a magnificent failure of all that the Rule of Law stands for,” the court said.
“Especially where violations of Article 11 are to be found, it is necessary to award compensation in such amounts adequate to deter such degenerates.
“Therefore, we direct the National Police Commission and other relevant authorities to take appropriate disciplinary action against the officers we have found to be responsible,” the court ruled.
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