Court extends remand for suspects in Raviraj, Maheswaran killings

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 April 2008, 02:46 GMT]
Suspects in the killings of former Colombo district parliamentarian Thiyagarajah Maheswaran and former Jaffna district parliamentarian Nadaraja Raviraj were ordered further remand till April 21 and April 23 by the Colombo Magistrate's Court when they were produced in court separately Tuesday, legal sources in Colombo said.

Suspects Nalaka Mathanweera and Anura Shantha in Raviraj murder case were produced before Colombo Additional Magistrate Sujatha Alahaperuma. The court instructed the police to send the confessions made by the suspects to magistrate to the Attorney General and to submit the latter's advice to court on the next date, legal sources said.

The police said that they were waiting for necessary legal opinion from the Attorney General on a report sent to him earlier.

Raviraj was shot dead in daylight in November 2006 at Naharenpitya junction in Colombo when he was traveling in his official vehicle.

Two suspects in Maheswaran killing were also produced before Colombo Additional Magistrate Ravindra Premaratne.

The police informed court that statements from the wife of Maheswaran and his relatives regarding the murder had already been recorded. The police further submitted that they were waiting for necessary instruction from the Attorney General on their report earlier submitted to him, sources said.

Maheswaran was shot dead on January 1st morning this year while he was attending pooja in Colombo Ponnamabalavaneesar Temple.