Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama on Monday acquitted former Mrs. World Caroline Jurie and model Chula Padmendra in the case brought over the forcible removal of the crown from Pushpika de Silva, the winner of the Mrs. Sri Lanka 2021 pageant, the Daily Mirror reported.
Delivering judgment, the Chief Magistrate held that the prosecution had failed to prove the charges beyond reasonable doubt.
Padmendra has since died, and a surety appeared before the court on Padmendra’s behalf, Hiru News reported. Neither outlet gives a date or cause of death.
The 2021 incident
The case arose from the Mrs. Sri Lanka 2021 national pageant, held at the Nelum Pokuna Theatre. De Silva was crowned the winner, but the crown was taken from her on stage and handed to the first runner-up, on a claim that she was ineligible because she was divorced. Jurie was the reigning Mrs. World at the time.
De Silva later complained to police that she had been hospitalised with head injuries caused when the crown was pulled from her head. Jurie and Padmendra were arrested and released on police bail, and the Mrs. World organisation said at the time that it would take action over Jurie’s conduct. The verdict had been scheduled for 14 September at an earlier hearing.
A headline worth reading carefully
Hiru News titles its report “2021 Mrs. World crown incident.” The crown at issue was the Mrs. Sri Lanka crown, which de Silva had just won; Jurie held the Mrs. World title separately, which she later relinquished. The Daily Mirror’s account draws the distinction correctly.
Not reported
Neither outlet reports the specific charges on which the acquittal was entered, whether the Attorney General’s Department will appeal, or any response from de Silva or her lawyers. Neither gives the number of witnesses called or says why the case took more than five years to reach judgment.
