Murder of Vidya: Court orders investigation into allegations against Vijayakala

The Kayts Magistrate’s Court has instructed the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to launch an investigation into the accusations against State Minister of Women and Child Affairs, Vijayakala Maheswaran, in connection with the release of a suspect in the murder case of Vidya.

The chief suspect of the murder case, Mahalingam Shashi Kumar, had been captured by local residents and tied to an electricity transmission tower, whereupon he had been released without being handed over to the Police.

The counsels representing the former Senior Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG), Lalith Jayasinghe, stated before the Court that State Minister Vijayakala Maheswaran had arrived at the scene and released the chief suspect, Mahalingam Shashi Kumar, alias ‘Swiss’ Kumar, after untying him from the electricity transmission tower.

Former Senior DIG Lalith Jayasinghe was previously arrested for allegedly aiding and abetting ‘Swiss’ Kumar’s escape.

His counsels made the aforementioned case when the former Senior DIG was produced before the Kayts Magistrate’s Court.

They also questioned as to why the CID, which was conducting investigations into the former Senior DIG, was not investigating the State Minister.

The Ada Derana court correspondent reported that former Senior DIG Lalith Jayasinghe’s counsels had also submitted to the Court, a video tape in connection with the incident.

Accordingly, the Kayts Magistrate, Justice M. M. Riyal, after taking into consideration the case presented by Jayasinghe’s attorneys, had then proceeded to order that an investigation be launched into the accusations against Vijayakala Maheswaran, and furthermore instructed the CID to also obtain a statement from the State Minister.

Sivaloganathan Vidya, an 18-year-old schoolgirl from Punkudutivu, was abducted, gang-raped and murdered in Jaffna, whilst returning home from school on May 13, 2015.