COLOMBO (News 1st) - Legal proceedings have been initiated against several political figures over contempt of court charges in the Court of Appeal.Reports have been submitted to the Court of Appeal against political activists Wimal Weerawansa, Udaya Gammanpila, Sugeeshwara Bandara, Dilith Jayaweera, Asanka Navarathna, and Senior Lecturer Mahinda Pathirana.This development follows an order issued by the Fort Magistrate's Court on August 5th.The core of the matter traces back to a satyagraha demonstration held between July 7 and July 15. The protest was organized against the arrest of former Chief of State Intelligence Retired Major General Suresh Sallay in connection with the 2019 Easter Sunday bomb attacks. During these events, the named individuals made public statements that allegedly criticized and undermined judicial proceedings.During court proceedings on August 5th, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) formally reported the findings of its investigation into the matter before Fort Magistrate Pasan Amarasena.Upon evaluating the submissions, the Magistrate’s Court determined that the public statements made by these individuals, on the face of it, appeared to criticize the judicial process.Consequently, the Magistrate ordered the matter to be referred directly to the Court of Appeal for the formal filing of contempt of court charges.
