Corporal Rajapakse to submit written submission

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 November 2004, 11:54 GMT]
The Jaffna High Court Friday allowed Army Corporal Rajapakse, one of the accused sentenced to death in Krishanthy rape and murder case, to submit written submission on December 7 against charges levelled against him in six Habeas Corpus (HC) applications filed by parents and relatives of several Tamil youths arrested by the army in 1996-1997 and later reported disappeared, legal sources said.

Jaffna High Court Judge Mr.K.P.S.Varatharajah further ordered prison officials to provide necessary stationeries and other related materials to Corporal Rajapakse to write his submission when it was again brought to the notice of the court that no counsel had come forward to appear for Corporal Rajapakse, legal sources said.

Corporal Rajapakse is cited as the first respondent in the six HC applications filed by Mr.Sellathurai Nanthakumaran and Mr.Poothathamby Yatheeshkumar, Mr.Nagamuthu Selvaretnam and Mr.Subramaniam Suthaharan and Mr.Logeswaran Cheran of Ariyalai and Mr.Paramu Chandrsehakaran of Koiaththodam which were taken up for inquiry Friday, legal sources said.

Petitioners have begged court to order the respondents including former Army Commander Mr.Lionel Balagalle and other army officials were in charge of army detachments in Jaffna town during the period 1996-1997 to produce those disappeared after the arrest by soldiers, legal sources said.