Case of female law student being molested in court complex office by monk suppressed?

By A. J. A. Abeynayake

Colombo Chief Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne yesterday ordered the OIC of the Children’s and Women’s Bureau of the Maradana police to detail an officer to explain to court how a female law student had been molested in an office complex of the Colombo High Court by a Buddhist monk on August 7.

Counsel appearing for the victim Attorneys-at-law Manju Sri Chandrasena, Achala Seneviratne and others told court that the OIC of the Bureau failed to make submissions to the court with regard to the particular incident.

The judge made the order after she found out that the OIC of the Women’s and Children’s Bureau of the Maradana police had failed to take action on the complaint lodged by the victim although the officer had obtained a statement from the student on August 12 after the victim had complained to the Keselwatte police and the Senior DIG Western Province, who had directed the victim to complain to the particular unit of the Maradana police.

The OIC had even visited the scene of the alleged crime and after obtaining a statement from the victim.

The victim’s counsel told court that the OIC of the Bureau had failed to arrest the suspect and produce him before court although the Senior DIG Western Province had given an order to that effect.

The police had even turned down a request by the victim to provide the case number, her lawyers told court.

The lawyers appearing for the victim told court that the incident which took place in a court complex had been suppressed by interested parties using undue influence on the police.