Tamil mother files FR petition in Supreme Court

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 October 2007, 04:15 GMT]
A 28-year-old Tamil woman has filed a Fundamental Rights (FR) violation petition in the Sri Lanka's Supreme Court to order her release immediately and compensation of Rs. 500,000 for illegal arrest and detention in Welikada prison. Ganeshanathan Sridevi gave birth to her fourth child in the police station during her detainment. She has cited Borella Police Chief Inspector Kamal Pushpakumara, Inspector General of Police, Defence Secretary, Commissioner General of Prisons and Attorney General as respondents in her petition, legal sources said.

Senior Attorney Mr.Velupillai Ponnambalam filed the FR petition on behalf of the petitioner Monday.

Pertinent excerpts from the petition follows:

"I am a resident of Rajagiriya and a mother of three children aged 7, 5 and 3. The Borella Police Officer-in-Charge Kamal Pushpakumara arrested me on 26.06.2007 in my house under Emergency Regulations without taking into consideration that I was nine months' pregnant. I gave birth to my fourth child while being detained in Borella police Station. Police did not take any care of my baby and me after delivery.

"The police did not take any steps to release me on bail on humanitarian ground after I gave birth to a child. Currently I am being detained in Colombo remand prison with my two and a half month's old baby.

"I do not know the charge against me. My other children are being looked after and maintained by sympathisers as my husband; husband's mother, husband's brother and his sister-in-law are being held under detention for a longer period."

The petitioner has begged that the court should declare that her arrest is illegal; her detention is against law thus blatantly violating her fundamental rights.

Meanwhile, a separate fundamental rights violation application filed by the petitioner's mother-in-law, 53-year-old Mallikadevi Vikneswaran, in the Supreme Court seeking her release and compensation against her illegal arrest and detention is pending, legal sources said.