In a landmark ruling, Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court holds a police officer personally accountable for horrific torture of a 16-year-old boy, revealing shocking details including snakebite cloth extract squeezed into the child’s eyes during illegal interrogation.
The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka has delivered a groundbreaking verdict, ruling that former Acting OIC of Hatharaliyadda Police Station violated the fundamental rights of a 16 year old boy through illegal arrest, brutal torture, and unlawful detention. The court’s detailed observations exposed how Inspector Weerakoon failed to produce the minor before judicial authorities within legally mandated timeframes while subjecting him to severe physical and psychological torture during interrogation.
In one particularly disturbing instance, the investigation revealed the Acting OIC had taken a cloth previously used on a snakebite victim, mixed it with water, and forcibly squeezed the toxic extract into the boy’s eyes. The victim, initially arrested on suspicion of jewelry theft, was subsequently acquitted and released by the Galagedara Magistrate’s Court after proper examination.
According to the victim’s testimony presented in court, the torture began on August 6, 2022, after he refused to confess to the alleged theft. The Acting OIC repeatedly struck the minor’s feet with a large wooden stick while another officer restrained him. Despite the boy’s continual pleas of innocence, the police officer mockingly stated the punishment would exceed any punishment from Allah.
A three judge Supreme Court bench comprising Justices Janaka de Silva, Menaka Wijesundara, and Sampath B. Abayakoon confirmed that medical evidence substantiated the torture allegations and that the child endured repeated mistreatment while in remand custody.
The court issued significant financial penalties, ordering the former Acting OIC to personally compensate the victim with Rs. 300,000 and pay Rs. 75,000 to the boy’s mother, who filed the petition as second petitioner. The judiciary recognized the mother’s legitimate expectation to meet her detained son and determined that denying this right caused severe mental distress.
In a proactive measure to prevent future violations, the Supreme Court directed the Inspector General of Police to issue clear instructions to all officers regarding minor detainees. The order mandates that when arresting minors, police must allow meetings with parents, close relatives, or guardians before presenting them to a magistrate, and in any case within six hours of arrest.
