The Supreme Court has ordered the IGP to carry out an investigation, under the Code of Criminal Procedure and on the advice of the Attorney General, into the recent incident at the Anuradhapura Prison involving State Minister Lohan Ratwatte.

The order was issued when the Fundamental Rights (FR) petition filed by 08 prison inmates against former State Minister of Prison Management & Prisoners’ Rehabilitation were taken up for consideration today (21). 

The petition was taken up before three-member judge bench comprising Supreme Court Justices Gamini Amarasekara, Yasantha Kodagoda and Janak de Silva.

The court granted permission to take up the petition for hearing and issued this interim order, Ada Derana reporter said.

The court also directed the Commissioner General of Prisons to transfer the petitioners from the Anuradhapura to another suitable prison, considering their safety. 

State Minister Lohan Ratwatte is accused of intimidating and threatening the prison inmates at gunpoint after allegedly forcibly entering the Anuradhapura Prisons premises.

The Supreme Court today issued notice on the respondents in the case, State Minister and the Anuradhapura Prison Superintendent, to file objections to the petition, if any.

After considering the facts presented, the court allowed to take up the petition for hearing while the case was postponed to February 15. 2022.