COLOMBO : Former Minister Rishad Bathiudeen arrested and detained in connection with the Easter Sunday attacks today filed a Fundamental Rights petition in Supreme Court seeking an interim order to release him from the custody of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID).
He is also seeking an interim order to suspend the operation of the detention order until the final determination of this petition.
This petition had been filed through Senior Attorney-at-law Gowry Shangary Thavarasha naming Inspector General of Police, CID Director, DIG in charge of CID, Attorney General and several others as respondents.
Bathiudeen stated that he is extremely vulnerable to being affected by the fast spreading COVID 19 pandemic in Sri Lanka. He said there is a grave threat to his life by being detained at the CID as he is exposed to other detainees and officers of the CID. He states that grave irreparable loss and damage would be caused to him unless interim relief is granted by the Supreme Court.
The petitioner said he was arrested in a humiliating manner on false and malicious allegations. He said defamatory statements were made against him in the media causing humiliation, defamation and pain of mind.
Bathiudeen said that he was detained at the CID during the holy month of Ramadhan preventing him from effectively practising his religion. He said that his daughter was to sit for the London International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) Examination on April 26, 2021. He said his daughter could not properly get ready for the examination due to the humiliating and illegal arrest and detention.
The Petitioner stated that grave loss and damage have been caused to the Petitioner and to the members of his family due to the violation of his Fundamental Rights by the Respondents and it is just and equitable that the Petitioner be awarded compensation of Rs. 5,000 million as in respect of the violations of his Fundamental Rights.
The petitioner is also seeking a declaration that the Petitioner’s Fundamental Rights guaranteed to him under Article 12(1), 12(2) 13(1)13(2) of the Constitution has been violated by the Arbitrary arrest and detention.
The Petitioner alleged that the purported detention order has not been made in terms of the law and thereby there is no basis on which the Petitioner could be justifiably detained.
The Petitioner denies that the he aided and abetted the suicide bomb attack carried out by Ibrahim Inshaf Ahamed on April 21, 2019. (CDN)
