The Supreme Court has ruled that the fundamental rights of a Police Sub-Inspector were violated in a 2022 incident in which he was subjected to inhumane assault, ordering three police inspectors found responsible to pay him Rs. 1.5 million in compensation from their personal funds.
Each of the three inspectors was directed to pay Rs. 500,000 to the petitioner, who was attached to the Gampaha Police Station at the time of the assault. The judgment was delivered with the concurrence of the bench.
The court also held that the decision to suspend the petitioner following the incident was unlawful and amounted to a further violation of his fundamental rights. The then Assistant Superintendent of Police for Gampaha was directed to pay an additional Rs. 50,000 in compensation, also from personal funds.
The case was heard following a fundamental rights petition filed by the Sub-Inspector. The order requiring the officers to pay from their personal accounts — rather than from state funds — is a notable accountability outcome for an internal police-misconduct case, where compensation is typically borne by the public purse.
Sources: Newswire, Ada Derana.
