The Colombo High Court has ruled that charges filed under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) cannot be maintained against five accused, including Nadun Chinthaka Wickramaratne alias “Harak Kata,” over an alleged conspiracy to escape while in custody of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) under detention orders.
However, the court stated that there is no legal impediment to proceeding with charges filed against the accused under the Penal Code, considering the offences they are alleged to have committed.
The order was issued by Colombo High Court Judge Buddhika C. Ragala after accepting preliminary objections raised by lawyers representing the accused, including President’s Counsel U.R. De Silva and Attorney-at-Law Jaliya Samarasinghe.
