Colombo Chief Magistrate Thilina Gamage today (23) rejected an anticipatory bail application filed by a former Member of Parliament, J. Sri Ranga, who said that he was ready to be arrested by the Colombo Crimes Division and sought an order to prevent it.
An anticipatory bail application filed by J.Sri Ranga, a lawyer, in relation to the incident of posting insulting notices to Mannar High Court Judge MM Mihal in Colombo and other urban areas, has been prepared to arrest him by the Colombo Crimes Division and to prevent that. It was rejected.
Colombo Crime Division has found audio tapes of a telephone conversation between the seventh suspect in this case, Tilakshan Namatta and J.Sri Ranga, related to the posting of the defamatory posters Therefore, the court feels that he was aware of the incident, the magistrate said, rejecting the expected bail.
The Magistrate also stated that the Court is not in a position to set the desired bail for Mr. J Sri Ranga based on the facts filed before the Court by the Criminal Division.
As the facts have come to light that the display of defamatory posters against the Mannar High Court judge in Colombo and suburbs has been done with the full knowledge of J Sri. Ranga, the necessary steps have been taken to arrest him and present him before the court. Focusing on a report, a J Sri Ranga lawyer had forwarded the pending bail application to the court.