September 04, Colombo (LNW): A legal bid by an alleged organised crime figure to challenge the involvement of the Police Special Task Force (STF) within Boossa High-Security Prison has been thrown out by the Court of Appeal.
The application, lodged by J.A. Ruwan Kumara—also known as Midigama Ruwan—was filed through his legal counsel in an effort to halt STF operations relating to internal inspections and other security procedures within the facility.
However, the Court of Appeal, after reviewing arguments from both sides, ruled that the petition lacked merit and failed to demonstrate any valid legal grounds. The ruling was delivered by a bench consisting of Justice Rohantha Abeysuriya, President of the Court of Appeal, and Justice Priyantha Fernando.
During the hearing, Additional Solicitor General Shanil Kularatne, representing the Attorney General’s Department, argued that the petition was procedurally unsound and did not meet the legal threshold for consideration. The court ultimately agreed, stating that the petitioner had not provided sufficient evidence to justify judicial intervention.
As a result, the bench opted to dismiss the application outright, without granting it leave for further review.
The petitioner had argued that the deployment of STF personnel inside the prison—particularly for conducting internal checks and overseeing inmate-related matters—contravenes existing legal frameworks under the Prisons Ordinance. He sought a court order to prevent what he claimed was an unlawful exercise of authority by the STF within the correctional system.
