Jaffna Chief Magistrate A. A. Anandaraja has severely reprimanded and released the town’s Mayor, Patkunaraja Yogeswari, and her husband K. Patkunaraja after they placed a newspaper advertisement relating to a court decision.
The mayor who presented herself along with her husband at the Chief Magistrate’s Court in Jaffna on Friday was severely warned
inside the Magistrate’s chamber and released after they apologised.
The dispute arose after the mayor placed an advertisement in a local newspaper calling for the dropping of the charges against Deputy Mayor T. Illango who who had allegedly threatened Chavakacheri’s Magistrate T. J. Prabhakaran who was hearing a case of abduction and murder of teenager.
The Magistrate ordered Mr. Illango’s arrest after he was found outside the Magistrates house armed with a pistol along with one of the suspects involved in the abduction and murder.
In the advertisement, the mayor called for the dropping of the charges against the deputy mayor, claiming he was a hard working and honourable man. The advertisement said the arrest was due to political reasons and the mayor had called for a go-slow campaign by Jaffna municipal workers.
The deputy mayor was arrested along with several others for alleged complicity in the abduction and brutal murder of a 17-year-old school boy in a botched ransom bid. He was later given conditional bail and told to appear in courts every Monday.
Soon after the Chavakachcheri Magistrate came under threat lawyers boycotted court sittings in the north. But after an assurance from the Police and the Jaffna security Forces commander they returned to courts this week.
The Jaffna MC is controlled by the UPFA with the Mayor and her Deputy from the EPDP. |
E-mail
