4th lead:

Kalmunai District Court orders DNA test for "Baby 81"

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 February 2005, 08:47 GMT]
The Kalmunai District Judge Wednesday ordered DNA test for Mrs Jenita Jeyarajah who claimed to be the biological mother and the baby, popularly called "Baby 81" by the admission number to the Hospital on the Boxing Day. Mrs. Jenita Jeyarajah together with her husband Mr. Jeyarajah were the only couple to appear before the court on Wednesday. The couple were later arrested by the Police together with two of their supporters who stormed the hospital and attacked the employees in an attempt to bring the baby under their custody.

The "Baby 81" with nurse Kosala Varatharajan at Kalmunai Base Hospital on Tuesday

Angered protestors associated with the couple and a man who claimed to have handed over the baby to the hospital, demonstrated outside the hospital.

Police interfered into the matter and arrested four people, including the couple.

The couple were later released on free bail and ordered to appear before the the magistrate Thursday, but the other two demonstrants would remain remanded, said police OIC W.C. Wijeyathilake.

"There were many desperate couples who wished the baby was theirs. But there were never nine couples who claimed to be biological parents, as it was widely hyped up by the media", Dr. Murugananthan from the Kalmunai Base Hospital told TamilNet Wednesday.

The next hearing is scheduled to take place on 20th April to decide the fate of the baby on the receipt of the DNA reports, said Dr. Muruganthanan.

The hospital is ordered by the court to be the caretaker of the baby till then, he added.

According to the hospital staff, the baby in dispute was admitted by an old man whose details were not kept in the hospital records.

The baby came to be called by the registration number and is believed by his activities to be 4 months old.

Kalmunai Base Hospital administration decided last week to approach the District Court to resolve the issue as a court order was felt necessary to conduct the DNA test, sources added.