The Inter-University Students Federation and Ceylon Teacher’s Union (CTU) today filed, 15 Habeas Corpus petitions in the Court of Appeal seeking an interim order directing authorities to produce 15 protestors before the Court.
The petitioners, members of the IUSF and CTU cited, IGP Chandana Wickremaratne, Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police DeshabanduThennakoon, Officer-In-Charge of Slave Island Police Station, OIC of Thalangama Police Station, Director General of Health Services DrAsela Gunawardena and several others as respondents.
The petitioners said the protestors gathered at Battaramulla junction on the 8th of July against the proposed Kotalawela Defence Academy Bill. They stated that around 11 am, a group of policemen used excessive force to disperse the protestors and arrest the corpora with nearly 30 others.
The petitioners stated that the protestors were subsequently released on bail by the Colombo Magistrate. Consequently, the Police used force and taken them to a quarantine centre in Mullaitivu without any presence of the health authority or performing antigen tests or PCR tests.
The petitioners state that though the police requested direction from the Magistrate to send them to a quarantine centre, the Magistrate refused.
