The Colombo Magistrate’s Court has ordered the exhumation of the body of the 26-year-old youth who died while in police custody at the Welikada Police Station recently, to facilitate a fresh postmortem examination by a panel of three specialist doctors.
The directive was issued by Additional Magistrate Kemintha Perera, following a request made by the aggrieved party. The court instructed the Chief Judicial Medical Officer of Colombo to carry out a full and independent postmortem and submit a report.
The youth, who was arrested on April 1, 2025, for allegedly entering a residence in the Nawala area, was reported to have exhibited riotous behavior while in Police custody. He was later admitted to the National Institute of Mental Health in Mulleriyawa, where he died in the early hours of April 2.
Police claimed the fatal injuries were self-inflicted and that the youth was not in a stable mental condition at the time.
The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) has voiced serious concern over the incident. In a statement, BASL President Attorney-at-Law Rajeev Amarasuriya raised alarm over the circumstances surrounding the death and highlighted its broader implications on law enforcement accountability and public confidence in the justice system. (Newswire)