Colombo, October 28 (Daily Mirror) - The trial against National Freedom Front (NFF) leader Wimal Weerawansa, facing charges for causing disturbance to the public and normal traffic movements during a protest held in 2016, was today postponed as he failed to appear in court due to illness. 

According to his legal team, former Parliamentarian Weerawansa is suffering from a viral flu, rendering him unable to attend the scheduled hearing.

Taking the facts into consideration, Colombo Chief Magistrate Thilina Gamage rescheduled the trial for November 25. The accused and witnesses in the case were ordered to appear in court on the next trial date. 

The Cinnamon Gardens police alleged that NFF leader Wimal Weerawansa and five others had provided leadership to a protest which blocked the main roads at Bauddhaloka Mawatha in 2016, causing disturbance to the public and normal traffic movements.
  
On February 6, 2016, the NFF staged a protest march against the visit of United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein.
 
Six suspects including NFF leader Wimal Weerawansa, Jayantha Samaraweera, Weerakumara Dissanayake, Piyasiri Wijenayake, Roger Seneviratne, Mohammed Muzammil and Don Lusian had been named as suspects in this case.  The seventh suspect Chaminda Jayalal is evading courts from the inception.