A lawyer who had been charged under the Motor Traffic Act for tooting vehicle horns to the popular rhythm of ‘Kaputu kaak kaak’ was today ordered to be discharged from the case by Colombo Additional Magistrate M. S. Prabhakaran.

The Fort Police filed charges against Attorney-at-Law Dushmantha Weeraratne under section 155(2) of the Motor Traffic Act for whistling other than a horn sounding a single note at Galle Face Green last Friday (9).

The Colombo Additional Magistrate strictly advised the Fort Police not to act in a biassed manner when framing charges and emphasised the necessity of understanding the law prior to instituting legal action.

A group of lawyers, including President’s Counsels Saliya Peiris and Sarath Jayamanne PC, and Senior Counsel Kaushalya Nawaratne, appearing for the lawyers, challenged the maintainability of the charges against their client.

While drawing attention to the Jana Ghosha case (Amaratunga v Sirimal), defence counsel highlighted the importance of allowing people to exercise their freedom of speech and expression, including their right to dissent.