June 10, Colombo (LNW): Thushara Upuldeniya, the now-suspended head of Sri Lanka’s prison system, has been remanded in custody until June 11 following his arrest by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
The arrest took place yesterday (09) and is part of a broader inquiry into the questionable release of an inmate from Anuradhapura Prison.
Colombo Additional Magistrate Manjula Rathnayake issued the remand order after reviewing the evidence presented by investigators. The court declined to consider a bail application, citing the ongoing nature of the inquiry as a key reason for the refusal. The case has been scheduled to be revisited tomorrow by the regular magistrate.
Upuldeniya’s arrest marks a significant development in a controversy surrounding the release of a prisoner during the Vesak Poya holiday under a Presidential Pardon. Authorities allege that the release may not have followed proper legal protocols, and that Upuldeniya may have played a role in facilitating it.
In a move seen as an attempt to ensure an unbiased investigation, the Cabinet of Ministers, during its weekly meeting presided over by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, resolved to suspend Upuldeniya from his duties with immediate effect.
Simultaneously, the Superintendent of Anuradhapura Prison, also implicated in the same incident, has been taken into custody by the CID and similarly remanded until June 11.
