Parliamentarian Ranjan Ramanayake, who was sentenced to four-year rigorous imprisonment, has been taken to the Correctional Centre for Youth Offenders in Pallansena for quarantine.
The Supreme Court, this morning, ordered to sentence the parliamentarian to four years of rigorous imprisonment over a case of Contempt of Court.
Last month, the Supreme Court judge bench had scheduled further clarifications on the matter for today (January 12).
The unanimous decision was delivered by a three-judge bench comprising Justices Sisira de Abrew, Vijith Malalgoda, and Preethi Padman Surasena.
Announcing the verdict, Sisira de Abrew, presiding judge of the bench, said that the contempt of court charges levelled by the Attorney General against Ranjan Ramanayake for contempt of court has been proved beyond a reasonable doubt.
He added that evidence is clear that the parliamentarian’s comments in 2017 alluded to the majority of lawyers and judges in the country bring corrupt and complicit in protecting criminals for financial gains.
Justice Sisira de Abrew went on to reveal that the respondent, during his testimony in the court had assured that the reference to judges in his statement was a mistake.
He, however, revealed that an examination of the respondent’s conduct following the incident had clearly cast serious doubts to the credibility of such claim.
After the verdict was handed down, the parliamentarian was briefly moved to the Welikada Prison before being transported to Pallansena Correctional Centre for Youth Offenders to undergo quarantine before commencing his prison sentence.
The case had been filed against former State Minister Ranjan Ramanayake over Contempt of Court charges for making defamatory remarks against the judiciary on the 21st of August in 2017.
Speaking to the media following a meeting with then-Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe at the Temple Trees, Ramanayake claimed that the majority of judges in the country issue biased rulings and that they are corrupt.
Retired Air Force Officer Sunil Perera and Venerable Magalkande Sudatta Thera later filed two petitions with the Supreme Court alleging that such defamatory comments can shatter public confidence and provide a warped image of the judiciary to the people of Sri Lanka.
Based on these complaints, the Attorney General had later served the charges against Ramanayake before the Supreme Court.
