5th Column

My dear Kosthaapal Tharinda and Neethigna Wanninayake,

I thought of writing to both of you this week because the entire country watched the drama you staged at the courts in Mount Lavinia last week. It is not something that either of you should be proud of. Instead, it was a case of the two arms of the law trying to outdo each other without working together.

Kosthaapal Tharinda, we do not know what exactly happened. You have been accused of assaulting a lawyer. You have denied the charge. You say you were only trying to do your duty. You are now facing some charges. I suppose we will know the truth when the case against you is concluded.

Kosthaapal Tharinda, despite whatever you did or did not do that day we know that until recently, the Police were not held in great esteem by the general public. That is because of the deeds of those such as Deshabandu with his Siddhalepa treatment and many other similar incidents in the past.

It was just when the image of the Police seemed to be improving with a new IGP and the nabbing of alleged underworld leaders from places such as Indonesia and Nepal that we saw your drama, Kosthaapal Tharinda. What was surprising was the reaction from the public to your arrest and release.

After you were produced before the magistrate and granted bail, you were led away from court as a hero of some sort. Something about that was not quite right. That reception would have better suited Aravinda de Silva after his match-winning century in the World Cup final at Lahore!

As for you, Neethigna Wanninayake, this is not your finest hour. You have a record of standing up for what you believed in, even if it was against the odds, as you did when Shirani was impeached by Mahinda maama’s regime, and during the ‘aragalaya’. That makes your behaviour more disgusting.

Unlike in Kosthaapal Tharinda’s case, your behaviour is captured on camera. That went viral. That is why it caused a public uproar. Within a few minutes and with a few  sentences, you lost any standing you had.

Neethigna Wanninayake, first you told Kosthaapal Tharinda that he was a country bumpkin. Then, you told him that you would be calling ‘Priyantha’ who was in your junior batch. Then, you told him that if you didn’t have Kosthaapal Tharinda interdicted that same day, you wouldn’t work as a lawyer.

Neethigna Wanninayake, are you telling us that someone born to lesser privileges and resources in the country shouldn’t be treated with respect? Do you know who leads the country today?

Then, Neethigna Wanninayake, you try to pull rank saying that ‘Priyantha’ was in your junior batch. Are you seriously suggesting that just because you are senior to someone by a year, the rules should be any different for you? As a lawyer, is that your concept of everyone being equal before the law?

Finally, Neethigna Wanninayake, you said you will have Kosthaapal Tharinda interdicted before the day ends. Are you saying that, because of your influence, you can bypass usual Police procedures? Is that the ‘system change’ that people yearned for at the ‘aragalaya’ and last year’s elections?

After Kosthaapal Tharinda is remanded, when the Police wished to record a statement from you, you do a ‘Deshabandu’ and go missing. After all the bravado you displayed in court that day, you too feared being remanded.

How the Bar Association reacted to this incident also leaves much to be desired. Within hours of the drama in court, they issue a statement condemning the ‘assault’, turning judge, jury and executioner, before the case against Kosthaapal Tharinda was even heard. Ah, don’t they say that fools rush in?

This is not the first time a lawyer was alleged to have been assaulted by the Police. Remember Wijedasa Liyanarachchi? Those who led the Bar Association then, like the late HL and Desmond stood tall and protested.

This partly explains why Kosthaapal Tharinda was given a heroes’ welcome when he was granted bail. Certain people in our country believe they are above the law. The lawyers showed that last week. Doctors do so every now and then. Politicians do that all the time. People resent that.

If Kosthaapal Tharinda is guilty, he must be punished with the full force of the law because policemen cannot assault citizens, not because the victim is a lawyer. The law must be applied to Neethigna Wanninayake too, he cannot be exempt because he is a lawyer. Two wrongs don’t make a right.

Yours Truly,

Punchi Putha

PS: Neethigna Wanninayake, you shouted that day that if you didn’t have Kosthaapal Tharinda interdicted by the end of the day, you wouldn’t work as a lawyer. Well, Kosthaapal Tharinda wasn’t interdicted, he was only remanded. How about that, my learned friend? I rest my case.