Lawyer caught in Shangri-La bomb demands Rs. 500 m in damages from Govt.

Thursday, 11 July 2019 01:16 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

FR petition filed before SC to be taken up today

By Manopriya Gunasekera

A lawyer who sustained severe burn injuries from the Easter Sunday suicide attack at the Shangri-La Hotel has filed a Fundamental Rights petition before the Supreme Court, seeking Rs. 500 million compensation from the Government.

The lawyer, identified as Moditha Tikiri Bandara Ekanayake, in his Petition states that the Government had prior knowledge of the attacks but failed to act, and as such breached his and the public’s Fundamental Rights. Forty-four officials, including former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Pujith Jayasundera, and intelligence officials, have been cited as Respondents in the Petition. The Supreme Court will take the FR up for deliberation today.

Ekanayake details how he was caught in the Shangri-La suicide attack, which is believed to have been carried out by Zahran Hashim and Ilham Ibrahim, and sustained severe burns to his head, face, hands, and right thigh. He was taken to the hospital by a driver working for the Shangri-La taxi service, and was in the intensive care unit for two days. He also subsequently spent over a month receiving treatment at the burn unit of the Colombo National Hospital.

As a result of the attacks, the public as well as himself have severe concerns about national security, Ekanayake contends, and points out that negligence of duty by the relevant officials caused this situation. Therefore he has requested the State pay him Rs. 500 m in damages.

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