By Kurulu Koojana Kariyakarawana  

The Right to Information Commission yesterday warned of taking up legal action against the Police Department for not furnishing the details related to the expiration dates of tear gas canisters used by them in the recent protests and the Galle Face Aragalaya as per a request made by a journalist.This was transpired at the hearing of an appeal made by Journalist Tharindu Jayawardena over the failure of the police department to furnish the requested information regarding the expiry dates of the tear gas used by the latter, held at the commission in the BMICH yesterday afternoon.

The commission comprising of the three commissioners retired Judge Rohini Walgama, Attorneys Kishali Pinto Jayawardena and Jagath Liyanarachchi questioned the police reasons for not facilitating the requested information by the journalist for the concerns of life risks and personal independence.  

Journalist Tharindu Jayawardena told the Daily Mirror that he had made several requests from the police regarding the information but the latter had not responded. He had then appealed to the commission and when the process was underway the police department had replied saying such details couldn’t be furnished as it was classified as being important to national security.  
Jayawardena had made another appeal to the commission and the hearing was summoned yesterday, to which the department’s Senior DIG in charge of Administration Nandana Munasinghe had responded saying that they usually destroyed documents other than those pertaining to legal cases every five years thus they were unable to provide the requested details.  

The commission then ordered the police department to give written submissions how the details of the expiry dates of tear gas canisters could affect national security.  
It also questioned the department why the latter was not honoring the Right to Information Act and not maintaining documents for 12 years as required by every state institution.  Journalist Jayawardena pointed out that they had reasonable doubts that the tear gas used by the police had passed its expiration dates long back and even the police is saying that the documents destroyed in the past five years don’t include such details prove that the tear gas canisters were older than five years. Usually the expiration date of a tear gas canister is valid for only five years, he said.  

“We request these information as the quality of these tear gases is very important fact regarding the health and safety of the people of which they are being used against,” Jayawardena further said.  
Officials from the Police Supplies Division, Police Legal Division and Police Human Resources Division took part in the hearing.  

The Commission ordered to give written submissions by September 10th and the hearing was postponed till September 14th.