DailyMirror
The Supreme Court yesterday granted conditional bail to freelance journalist Ruwan Weerakoon who was arrested for allegedly facilitating talks between retired General Sarath Fonseka and United National Party (UNP) MP Lakshman Seneviratne and former UNP MP Johnston Fernando.
The Bench comprising Justices Shiranee Tilakawardane, K. Sripavan and S.I. Imam ordered Mr. Weerakoon to report to the Terrorist Investigation Division every Sunday between 9.00 a.m. and 12.00 noon and that he should not interfere with the ongoing investigations.
The SC had already granted leave to proceed with his rights violation petition challenging his arrest and detention and the alleged infringement of his fundamental rights to equality and equal protection of the law as well as freedom from arbitrary arrest and detention.
Saliya Peiris with Shantha Jayewardena appeared for Mr. Weerakoon while senior state counsel Riyaz Hamza appeared for the respondents.
Attorney-at-Law Lilanthi de Silva filed the rights application on behalf of Mr. Weerakoon a free lance journalist who wrote the defense column for “The Bottom Line” Newspaper and contributed to the “Asian Tribune” Website and the “Associated Press”.
Inspector Saman Karunaratne, DIG C.N. Wakishta and TID Director DIG Nandana Goonetileka, Inspector Tissa Pilapitiya, the Police Chief and the Attorney General were cited as respondents.
The petitioner said during the war, as a professional journalist he was in contact with the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence and Cabinet Ministers Keheliya Rambukwella and Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, then Army Commander Sarath Fonseka, Air Force Air Commander Roshan Goonetilleka and a few senior police officers.