April 15, Colombo (LNW): A request made on behalf of former President Ranil Wickremesinghe to communicate with a detainee currently under investigation has been denied by the authorities, the Minister of Public Security, Ananda Wijepala, confirmed.
The matter concerns the former State Minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan—also known by the alias Pillayan—who is currently in custody in connection with a long-standing case surrounding the disappearance of Professor Sivasubramaniam Ravindranath, a former Vice-Chancellor of the Eastern University.
Chandrakanthan was taken into custody by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on April 09 in Batticaloa.
According to Minister Wijepala, one of Wickremesinghe’s security personnel made a direct telephone call to officials at the CID, requesting that the former President be permitted to speak with the detainee. The request, however, was declined.
The refusal was based on legal provisions governing detention procedures, which prohibit suspects held under detention orders from engaging in telephone communication with external parties. The minister reiterated that these measures are in place to ensure the integrity of ongoing investigations and to avoid any potential interference.
In contrast, former MP Udaya Gammanpila was granted access to Chandrakanthan after submitting a request in his capacity as legal counsel. That meeting took place at the CID premises, and was conducted under strict supervision by law enforcement officials, as per standard legal protocol.
The arrest of Chandrakanthan has rekindled attention on the unresolved disappearance of Professor Ravindranath, who vanished under mysterious circumstances nearly two decades ago.
Whilst public attention had waned over the years, renewed investigative interest has led to significant developments in the case, prompting fresh scrutiny of political and paramilitary connections dating back to the civil conflict era.
