Negombo Magistrate Shilani Perera yesterday ordered the Chief Jailor who was on duty at the time of the deadly prison clash to appear before court on July 30 to provide evidence regarding the incident that claimed the lives of 10 prison officers and 22 inmates.
The magistrate also directed prison authorities to submit a comprehensive report on the 89 prison police officers who were deployed to Negombo Prison from Welikada Prison following the violence. Separate reports were also ordered on those currently receiving treatment at the Colombo National Hospital and Negombo Hospital.
The directives were issued when the case relating to the prison incident was taken up before the Negombo Magistrate’s Court yesterday afternoon.
Earlier, on July 27, Magistrate Perera had instructed prison authorities to brief the court on the medical reports of inmates held at Negombo Prison.
When the case was first called at 2.00 p.m. yesterday, the Superintendent of Prisons failed to appear despite having been summoned on several previous occasions. Noting his continued absence, the magistrate ordered that notices be issued to the Prison Superintendent and directed that the case be recalled on July 30.
However, prison officers present in court informed the magistrate that the superintendent was on his way to court. As a result, the order to issue notices was withdrawn, and the case was recalled at 2.30 p.m.
When proceedings resumed, Negombo Prison Superintendent Vajira Abeydeera appeared before the court.
Addressing the superintendent, Magistrate Perera referred to the earlier order requiring medical reports for all inmates in the prison. She noted that concerns had been raised over the practical difficulty of having a single medical specialist examine every inmate and inquired whether an alternative arrangement could be made while ensuring the court’s directive was complied with.
