Sri Lanka court case confirms Police must disclose complaints to summoned individuals

The Attorney General informed the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka yesterday (July 3) that the Acting Inspector General of Police had issued a circular to all police stations across the country, outlining the proper procedure for informing individuals about the contents of complaints made against them when they are summoned to an institution to provide a statement regarding a particular incident.

This announcement was made during a hearing held on a fundamental rights petition filed by Mr. Vidura Ralapanawa, an energy expert, against the Computer Crimes Investigation Division of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

The petition was heard before a bench comprising Supreme Court Justices Achala Wengappuli and Sampath Wijeratne.

The petitioner stated in his application that he had been contacted via phone by an officer from the Computer Crimes Division of the CID, who informed him that they wished to obtain a statement regarding a comment he had posted on social media.

He further alleged that when he inquired about the nature and contents of the complaint, the police officer refused to provide an answer.

The petitioner claimed that by withholding this information, the police had violated his fundamental human rights and requested the court to issue a ruling affirming this violation.

During the hearing, the Attorney General informed the court that, in accordance with a previous undertaking given by Inspector General of Police Deshabandu Tennakoon and officers from the Computer Crimes Division, a relevant circular had been prepared and distributed to all police stations across Sri Lanka.

The attorney representing the petitioner informed the court that they were satisfied with this development and, accordingly, the petition could be concluded.

Therefore, the Supreme Court decided to conclude the hearing of the petition.

The respondents named in the petition included Inspector General of Police Deshabandu Tennakoon, Deputy Inspector of Police Thisara of the CID’s Computer Crimes Division, the head of the division, and several other officials.