Seneviratne V Rajakaruna, Sub Inspector, C.I.D. and Others – sllr 2003 volume 1 page 410

In the case between Seneviratne (petitioner) and Rajakararuna, Sub Inspector, CID, and others (respondents), the court addressed the validity of the petitioner’s arrest and subsequent detention on suspicion of possessing a forged or tampered passport under Section 32(1)(b) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, and whether such actions infringed the petitioner’s fundamental rights under Articles 12(1), 13(1), and 13(2) of the Constitution. The court held that, although suspicions existed regarding the passport, the evidence presented did not establish reasonable grounds required for an arrest and detention, thereby finding that the petitioner’s fundamental rights were violated. The findings reaffirmed the principle that a lawful arrest must be predicated on credible information or reasonable s