Supreme Court dismisses FR petitions filed by 2 Tamil women

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 November 2007, 01:35 GMT]
Three-member bench of the Sri Lanka's Supreme Court Tuesday rejected the Fundamental Rights Violation applications filed by two Tamil women being detained in remand prison since their arrest three months earlier, legal sources in Colombo said.

The Borella Police took these women, Ganeshanathan Sridevi, 28, and Mallikadevi Vikneswaran, 53, into custody following the alleged seizure of a claymore mine from the compound where their house is located.

Both have resided in Rajagiriya in Colombo district for a long period. Mallikadevi Vikneswaran is the mother-in-law of Ganeshanathan Sridevi.

The Police took all elders of the house into custody including the petitioners, leaving children. All have been detained under the Prevention of Terrorism act (PTA).

The applications came up for preliminary hearing before SC bench comprising Justices Nihal Jayasinghe (Chairman), Andrew Somawanse and Balapattebendi.

Counsel for the petitioners, Dr. Thiyagar Thirunavukarasu with senior Attorney Mr.Velupillai Ponnambalam, submitted to court that one of the petitioners Ganeshanathan Sridevi has given birth to a baby while in remand. That baby is also in remand without committing any offence.

Sridevi alleges that police did not provide any assistance to the pregnant woman while in custody.

The petitioners had cited the Inspector General of Police, Borella Police Inspector who made the arrest, Defence Ministry Secretary, Commissioner general of Prisons and Attorney General as respondents.