Trial against Douglas begins over 1987 Chennai shootout

The trial in the nearly three-decade-old murder case in which former Minister Douglas Devananda is an accused commenced at a Chennai court, the Press Trust of India reported yesterday.

The trial began with the examination of witnesses before the IVth Additional Sessions Judge M. Shanti.

Examining witness Gurumurthy, the Additional Public Prosecutor (APP) questioned him whether he would be able to identify the accused, to which the former replied in the affirmative. Following this, the APP filed a memo seeking a clarification from the court whether Devananda should be produced in the court personally or appear through video conferencing for identification by the witness.

The court then adjourned the trial to 1 February,

Devananda, then a member of Eelam People’s Revolutionary Front, is the third accused in the 1987 shootout at Choolaimedu in Chennai in which one person was killed. All nine accused in the case were arrested but absconded after being released on bail. A non-bailable warrant had been issued against Douglas, who later became a minister in the Mahinda Rajapaksa Government. (Colombo Gazette)