Kandawalage Don Samantha Perera vs Officer In Charge, Police Station, Hettipola et al. – SC FR APPLICATION 296/2014-2020

In Kandawalage Don Samantha Perera v. Officer-in-Charge, Police Station, Hettipola and others, the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka addressed the violation of fundamental rights under Articles 11, 12, and 13 of the Constitution. The central issue was the legality of the Petitioner’s arrest, discrepancies in recorded arrest dates, and allegations of custodial torture and degrading treatment by law enforcement officials. It was held that the arrest and subsequent detention were unlawful, with the Petitioner’s account substantiated by medical evidence and inconsistencies in the Respondents’ narrative. The Court affirmed that the conduct of the police officers breached constitutional protections against torture, arbitrary arrest, and unlawful detention. Compensation was ordered against the offending