A suspect who was arrested by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) for allegedly publishing a false statement on social media targeting the Government has been released on bail.
Galle Chief Magistrate Harshana Kekunawela released the suspect on two personal bails worth Rs. 500,000 each.
The Judge had further instructed the suspect to refrain from operating his Facebook account until the completion of investigations.
The suspect is a 28-year-old man from the Thotagoda area in Akmeemana.
The CID had informed the court that the suspect had published a post on Facebook raising suspicion on whether the MV X-Press Pearl vessel, which caught fire off the coast of Sri Lanka recently, had been brought in and submerged by the Government.
The Department further said that a statement has been recorded from the suspect in this regard, while his mobile phone has been taken into custody until the conclusion of the ongoing investigations.
The Court was also requested to remand the suspect until the completion of the investigations by the CID. Upon being inquired if the statement had caused a threat to national security, the CID had said it had not caused any such effect.
The lawyer appearing on behalf of the suspect had also informed court that as the suspect had not published any fake news, he should be granted bail.
Taking into consideration these factors, the suspect was granted bail, while the case has been fixed for the 29th of July. (NewsWire)