Notorious criminal Janith Madushanka alias ‘Podi Lassie’ and his mother filed a Fundamental Rights petition today in the Supreme Court challenging continuous detention of Podi Lassie under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA).
The petitioners are also seeking an order directing the authorities to release Podi Lassie from the custody of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
The petitioners cited the Inspector General of Police, the CID and the Attorney General as respondents in the petition. The petitioners alleged that the continuous detention of PodiLassie without naming him as a suspect and without reporting facts against him constitutes a violation of his rights to equality.
The Petitioners further state that Podi Lassie was arrested in or around 2015 on suspicion of being involved with the murder of one ManojMendis and the said matter is presently heard before the Magistrates’ Court of Galle.
The petitioners stated that seven other cases are being heard against Podi Lassie at Balapitiya, Galle and Colombo Magistrate’s Courts.
The petitioners further said in all these cases, Podi Lassie had been granted bail. However, he remained in remand prison in respect of several cases where the bail had not been furnished as he was unable to satisfy bail conditions.
The Petitioners state that Podi Lassie has a reasonable apprehension of a threat to his life as ‘Tharaka Perera alias Kosgoda Tharaka’ upon being detained under the same circumstances was shot dead by officers of the police on May 13, 2021, purportedly in an encounter in the course of investigations to show hidden arms. Podi Lassie is currently being detained at Boossa Prison.
