Neomal Rangajeewa & Emil Ranjan’s case to be heard from Oct.

Permanent High Court at Bar has set the dates to hear the case against former Inspector of Police (IP) Neomal Rangajeewa of Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) and former Prisons Commissioner Emil Ranjan Lamahewa, who were arrested over the Welikada Prison clashes in 2012.

The case was taken up before the Colombo Special High Court Judges Gihan Kulatunga, Pradeep Hettiarachchi and Manjula Thilakaratne today (30).

The judge bench has accordingly ordered to hear the case against the duo on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays starting from the 14th of October.

Defence attorneys, presenting submissions before the court, stated that their clients are yet to receive the copies of the testimonies given by them to the police on several occasions.

The judge bench then ordered the prosecution to hand over the copies of the testimonies required by the defence.

IP Rangajeewa of the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) was arrested by the CID on March 28 over the alleged killing of inmates at Welikada prison during the clashes in 2012.

Lamahewa, who was the then Prisons Superintendent in charge of the Magazine Prison and currently Prisons Commissioner (Rehabilitation), was arrested by CID at his official residence at No. 142, Baseline Road, Colombo 9 the following day.

Twenty-seven inmates were killed and more than 20 others were injured in the deadly shooting during the Welikada Prison riot on November 9, 2012, when prisoners took control of the populated prison objecting to an unannounced search by the Special Task Force to nab hidden arms, drugs and mobile phones at the prison.

Attorney General Dappula de Livera had filed the case against Rangajeewa and Lamahewa under 33 charges. The Attorney General’s indictments read that the murdered inmates were imprisoned for allegedly engaging in drug dealing. He had requested Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya to appoint a Trial-at-Bar to hear the case against Rangajeewa and Lamahewa.