Kooniththeevu arrests illegal without Gazette notification: lawyer

[TamilNet, Sunday, 07 January 2018, 22:13 GMT]
Attorney-at-Law Arumukam Jegasothy from Trincomalee, one of the lawyers who appeared on behalf of the three Tamil trustees of the temple of Maththa’la-malai Murukan temple, said without a pre-existing Gazette notification on archaeological reserve at the time of the dispute and police action, the trustees could not be held in detention. The Sinhala lawyer who represented the prosecutor didn’t document the existence of a Gazette notification at Moothoor Magistrate’s court last time. Any new move to file a such notification cannot be used to justify the arrests and that the three trustees would be released by next time when the prosecutor fails to prove the pre-existence of such a Gazette notification.

Eezham Tamils have no political power to counter the move by the SL State and its Archaeological Department that seek to criminalise their future construction activities.

It should be the responsibility of ITAK Leader and the Leader of Opposition R. Sampanthan, who hails from Trincomalee, to at least voice for the rights of the people of Kooniththeevu at this juncture, the devotees who were gathered at Maththa'lamalai said on Sunday.

The devotees staged a special prayer at the temple of Maththa’la-malai for the release of the illegally detained trustees of their temple management on Sunday.



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