The Supreme Court, in a majority ruling, ordered Police Media Spokesman ASP F. U. Wootler to personally pay Rs. 60,000 in compensation to an Attorney-at-Law for violating his fundamental rights during a 2017 incident at Negombo Police Station.
The court held that Wootler, who was serving as Headquarters Inspector at the time, unlawfully interfered with the professional duties of the petitioner, Attorney-at-Law Priyalal Sirisena.
The court also directed Madushanka Dias, former Officer-in-Charge of the Miscellaneous Complaints Unit at the same station, to pay Rs. 30,000 in compensation for violating the petitioner’s rights.
Both respondents were further ordered to pay Rs. 10,000 each in legal costs.
The judgment was delivered by Justice Janak De Silva, with Justice Kumudini Wickremasinghe concurring, following a fundamental rights petition filed by Sirisena.
The petitioner alleged that the two officers obstructed him from representing a client at an inquiry at the police station.
In a dissenting opinion, Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena dismissed the petition without costs, stating he did not agree that the petitioner’s fundamental rights had been infringed.
Chief Justice argued that the lawyer’s right to practice was not violated by the mere act of being asked to leave a room during a police interrogation.
The Chief Justice noted that while the lawyer attempted to vindicate the rights of his client, only the aggrieved party (the client) could file for such violations, which she had not done in this specific application.
Senior Counsel Lakshan Dias appeared for the petitioner, while Senior Deputy Solicitor General Rajiv Goonetillake appeared for the Attorney General. (Newswire)