Upali Kodikara remanded October 23

(Published in Daily Mirror on 20/10/2015)

By Shehan Chamika Silva

UPFA’s western provincial councillor Upali Kodikara, who was arrested on charges of obstructing a police officer, who was on duty at the BMICH premises, was remanded till October 23 by the Colombo Chief Magistrate Gihan Pilapitiya.

The Police informed Court that the PRECIFAC Secretary had instructed the Police not to allow anyone else to enter the building other than ex-president Mahinda Rajapaksa who was summoned to the Presidential Commission of Inquiry to record his statement.

 Mr. Kodikara is alleged to have attempted to enter the premises after forcibly pushing aside the police officer who was on duty at the elevator. Police requested the Magistrate to remand the suspect, since the incident had received media publicity and that it was a bad example to the other public representatives.

Police said the suspect was on bail in some other cases as well.  Counsel Senarath Jayasundara appearing for the suspect told the Magistrate that such offences were bailable at the first hearing and rejected the allegations made against his client saying that there was no such orders given by the Commission Secretary.

The Kirillapone OIC Upul Samarasinghe who had tried to prevent Mr. Kodikara from entering the premises told the Magistrate that he had not faced such a situation in his 27 years of police service.