A female attorney-at-law convicted of preparing forged deeds relating to a land in Borella was yesterday sentenced to 12 years rigorous imprisonment by the Colombo High Court.Delivering the verdict after a lengthy trial, High Court Judge Lanka Jayaratne ordered that the sentences imposed on the two counts run concurrently, effectively reducing the term of imprisonment to six years.

The Attorney General’s Department had filed indictments against the accused on two charges, including preparing forged deeds in respect of the land in Borella.

In her judgement, the High Court Judge held that the prosecution had proved both charges against the accused beyond reasonable doubt.

Accordingly, the judge imposed six years’ rigorous imprisonment on each charge, amounting to a total of 12 years. Evidence led during the trial also revealed that the convicted attorney is a 61-year-old mother of two.

Another Iranian vessel in Lanka’s exclusive economic zone

Chief Government Whip and Health and Mass Media Minister Dr Nalinda Jayatissa yesterday told Parliament that the government was acting in accordance with international law to ensure peace and security following the maritime incident off the southern coast.

“We are doing our best as the government in this regard. We are acting according to international law. We are taking necessary measures,” the Minister said, assuring that Parliament would be briefed in due course.

Dr. Jayatissa acknowledged that another Iranian vessel was currently in international waters close to Sri Lanka’s maritime boundary, adding that authorities were aware of its presence.

“The ship is not in Sri Lankan territorial waters. It is located in the exclusive economic zone. The government and the Defence Ministry are aware of the ship. The government is involved in providing maximum intervention pertaining to the lives of those onboard. We will give a report once we complete the mission,” he said.

Responding to questions raised by the Opposition regarding the Iranian naval vessel that sank off the coast of Galle, the Minister said the incident had occurred within Sri Lanka’s Exclusive Economic Zone and not within its territorial waters.

He said the freedom of navigation applied within the Exclusive Economic Zone and that Sri Lanka’s authority in that area related primarily to economic matters.

“Any country is allowed to travel, and there is freedom of navigation in the exclusive economic zone. Sri Lanka only has authority related to economic affairs in the said zone. However, the attack on the earlier Iranian vessel on Wednesday morning happened 19 nautical miles from Sri Lanka,” he said.

Dr. Jayatissa said the authorities had been alerted after reports that bodies had been spotted in the sea, and thereafter the Sri Lanka had Navy launched search and rescue operations.

“At the time, we did not probe whether it was a result of a military or torpedo attack or war-related. We acted purely on a humanitarian basis,” he said.

According to the Minister, 32 persons had been rescued and admitted to the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital, with one of them receiving treatment in the intensive care unit, while a total of 84 bodies had been recovered.

He also acknowledged that state hospitals did not have adequate freezer facilities to preserve the bodies and said the government was seeking assistance from the private sector.

“We are looking to obtain help from the private sector. We are in discussion. We believe we need two freezers. In a few hours, two freezers will be heading to Galle,” he said.

Clarifying conflicting reports on the attack on the Iranian ship, Dr. Jayatissa said the government had acted on the information available at the time, noting that the United States had officially confirmed a torpedo attack only later in the evening.

by Saman Indrajith

Library facilities at the University of Peradeniya have been suspended, with main libraries across seven faculties remaining closed, disrupting academic activities of students.

Libraries in the Faculties of Medicine, Science, Agriculture, and several other faculties are among those affected by the closure, leaving students preparing for examinations in a state of distress. Many students have reportedly been forced to continue their academic work outdoors, including under trees and on stairways.

The situation is believed to have arisen after the Sathosa Security Agency, which assumed security duties at the university from March 1, failed to deploy the required number of security personnel for library protection.

The crisis deepened after library employees declined a request made by Vice Chancellor Prof Terrence Madhujith to assist in providing security services using existing library staff. The staff reportedly rejected the proposal, stating that as public servants they were not legally permitted to perform duties outside their designated responsibilities.

A senior university spokesperson said the situation had arisen because the Sathosa Security Agency, which secured the relevant tender as a state-owned enterprise, deployed about fewer security officers than required under the contract.

The Spokesperson said the tender included specific conditions, including age limits and deployment standards, due to the wide spatial layout of the university’s buildings. The current crisis, he said, stemmed from the company’s inability to meet those stipulated security requirements.

by SK Samaranayake