Court allows Police to investigate youth in protective custody

[TamilNet, Saturday, 15 December 2007, 04:32 GMT]
A youth seeking protection with the Jaffna office of Human Rights commission (HRC) and kept in protective custody has been ordered to be temporarily handed over to Jaffna police for criminal investigation by Acting Magistrate of Jaffna T.Kesavan, legal sources in Jaffna said.

The Jaffna police, in their appeal to the magistrate, stated that youth has to be inquired regarding possession of weapons.

The magistrate agreeing to the police request instructed Jaffna prison officials to hand over the youth to the police and to make certain that the youth is produced at the courts at the end of the investigations before returning him to the prison.

This is the first time a civilian kept in protection with HRC is being allowed to be investigated by police, according to legal sources in Jaffna.