Police officer cleared of charges

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 September 1998, 12:05 GMT]
The Tamil police inspector, suspected of involvement in a bomb-explosion in Marudane earlier this year, has been cleared of the offence by court.

The former inspector, Mr. Santhiapillai Jesudasan, a trusted officer for 41 years, was in charge of traffic matters at Company-road police station, when he was asked to report to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on the 10. of March 1998.

The CID-authorities held him for 120 days in custody at the 6. floor of their office, without informing him about the charges.

A petition on breach of fundamental rights was filed in the supreme court by lawyer Mrs. Gouri Sankari Thavaraja, and the case was conducted by lawyer Mr. P. Sivalokanathan.

The judges, G. P. S. De Silva, Badugodapitiye and Shirani Bandaranayake, who presided the hearing on 3. June 1998 ordered the attorney general to decide in Jesuthasan's case in 30 days, and Jesudasan was granted bail.

On July 1., he appeared in Malikawathe court, which heard the case on a fortnightly basis, and on the September 15. hearing, the Judge, Mr. Sahid, released Jesudasan, following a report from the Attorney general that there was no evidence against Jesudasan.

In the meantime, the fundamental rights breach case, comes to hearing on 21. of September, and Jesudasan's lawyer says that Jesudasan is not going to withdraw the case until the court rules on his illegal arrest and the huge loss incurred due to the loss of job.

Meanwhile, charges have been brought against some 75 high ranking police officers, including special police commissioners and the Deputy Inspector General (DIG), for allegedly indulging in unscrupulous activities.

They have accepted bribes for clearing known suspects from various offences, were using police vehicles for private purposes and using their homes as special units for conducting policing activities, says the CID-department, which is conducting the investigations.