14 February 2023 09:38 am Views - 128
Former head of the Sri Lanka Jamathe Islami organisation Ustaz Rasheed Hajjul Akbar arrested twice on allegations relating to April 2019 Easter Sunday attacks was discharged on Wednesday from all further proceedings by the Colombo Magistrate Pasan Amarasena following the Attorney General informing the Supreme Court in a fundamental rights case that there is no reasonable evidence to prosecute Hajjul Akbar.
Attorney at Law M J F Sumaiya had filed a fundamental rights application in the Supreme Court on March 12, 2021 on behalf of Ustaz Hajjul Akbar following his re-arrest by the Police Counter Terrorism Investigations Division(CTID) and kept in detention under the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary) Act.
M M Zuhair PC with M C M Muneer, Faris Sally, Salman Reyal, Rizwan Uvais, Shanesh Dissanayake and Medha Dissanayake instructed by M J F Sumaiya appeared for the Petitioner. Ganga Wakishtaarachi Deputy Solicitor-General with Sajith Bandara State Counsel appeared for the Respondents.
According to the petition filed in the Supreme Court, Hajjul Akbar was arrested once before on 26th August 2019 by the Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) and after investigations unconditionally discharged by a Colombo Magistrate on 27th September 2019 after CCD reported to Court that the investigations did not reveal the commission of any offence by Hajjul Akbar.