Malka Denethi vs K.S.K. Rupasinghe et al. – SC FR APPLICATION NO. 411/2021-2022

The case between the Petitioner, an Attorney-at-Law representing the 7th Respondent, and several police officials including the Senior Superintendent of Police (1st Respondent) and the Inspector General of Police, addressed whether the conduct of police officers during a police inquiry at the Boralesgamuwa Police Station infringed the Petitioner’s professional and fundamental rights under Articles 11, 12, and 14(1)(g) of the Constitution. It was held that the police officers’ actions—specifically, the hostile treatment of the Petitioner, ordering the Petitioner out of the interrogation room, and confiscating the Petitioner’s mobile phone—constituted an infringement of rights. The findings reaffirmed the principle that Attorneys-at-Law must be permitted effective access to clients during po