Ekneligoda murder :Court decides against granting bail to suspects

(Lanka-e-News -30.March.2016, 11.30PM)   When  the murder trial of Prageeth Ekneligoda  was taken up for hearing yesterday (29) at the Homagama court, the bail applications of the 9 soldiers who are suspects in the case were  rejected by judge Ranga Dissanayake who further remanded them.

Previously , the judge announced that a decision shall be taken yesterday on whether the suspects can be released on bail (or remanded) because the body of Prageeth had not been found. 

The Attorney General’s department raising objections to granting bail stated , irrespective of the absence of the victim’s body , there is evidence that the group had abducted the victim , and since the latter is not in the midst , statements have to be recorded of the suspects in regard to what they did  to Prageeth.

Upul Kumaraperuma the lawyer appearing on  behalf of Ekneliyagoda citing additional  grounds against granting bail said,  as the suspects were placed in remand custody by the judge who heard this case before , the present judge cannot grant bail , and there wasn’t a mode  to grant bail.

Accordingly , the judge Ranga Dissanayake accepting  the argument presented by Upul Kumaraperuma , refused to grant bail. 

Meanwhile the CID informed court that the suspects are in one group in the prison hospital which is an impediment to their investigations . Hence the CID requested court to issue an order to segregate four suspects .Accordingly , the judge ordered the prison hospital to forward a medical report on them to the court on the 1 st of April , while remanding the suspects until that date.

Army officers , Shammi Arjuna Kumararatne, Nankulage Toshinath Prabodha Sriwardena, Rajapakse Mudiyansalage Priyantha Kumara Rajapakse alias Nathan , Wadugedera Vinee Priyantha, Dilanjan Upasena , S.M. Raveendara Rupasena  alias Ranji, W.D. Dhaminda Kumara Abeyrathne , S.M. Kanishka Gunarathne , Aiyasamy Balasukramaniam and D.N. Tharanga Prasad Gamage are the suspects in remand custody. 

Prageeth ‘s wife Sandya Ekneliyagoda convening  a media briefing some time ago revealed that if these suspects are enlarged on bail , her life is at stake. 

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by     (2016-03-30 21:53:00)