News
Judge tells CID to list Ed. Ministry Secretary if evidence supports
View(s):Nugegoda Magistrate Ruwandika Marasinghe has ordered the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to name Education Ministry Secretary Nalaka Kaluwewa as a suspect and produce him in court if there is evidence of his involvement in the incident where a web address directing students to an adult website was included in English Language Modules 1, 2 and 3 – published under the new education reforms of Grade 6.
The magistrate also ordered the CID to conduct a comprehensive probe to ascertain whether the web address had been included in the modules deliberately, by mistake or through negligence.
Magistrate Marasinghe further ordered the CID to produce, as court products, the teacher training manual and the module printed after proofreading, both of which are alleged to contain the web address of the adult site.
The magistrate issued the series of orders after considering submissions made by lawyers representing the Association of Education Professionals (AEP) and the Grade Principals’ Association (GPA) regarding the investigation being conducted by the CID into a complaint made by Mr Kaluwewa. Magistrate Marasinghe also ordered the CID to record statements from all those who lodged complaints over the incident.
When the case was taken up, Maithri Gunaratne, PC, who appeared with Attorneys-at-Law Dinura Jayasinghe and Kisal Senanayake for AEP Secretary Ven. Ulapane Sumangala Thera, told the court that the CID was conducting its probe based on a complaint made by the Education Ministry Secretary, while disregarding the complaints lodged by others, including his client, prior to this.
He claimed the CID’s action of investigating the complaint lodged by Mr Kaluwewa, who should actually be named a suspect in the case, is being done with the aim of shielding wrongdoers from accountability. He claimed the printing of the modules containing the offending web address had caused a loss of more than Rs. 60 million to the state.
In answer to a question from the magistrate, the officer-in-charge of the CID’s Special Investigation Unit, Chief Inspector (CI) Kelum Karunaratne, told the court that statements had been recorded from 35 persons. He added that the CID had recorded lengthy statements from two National Institute of Education (NIE) lecturers who had helped draft the modules.
He also said a forensic investigation is being conducted on the electronic equipment and data used to compile the modules. Investigators are also examining emails exchanged between the two lecturers and the NIE’s senior assistant director.
Lawyer Gunaratne, though, accused the CID of deliberately slow-walking the investigation, which could allow wrongdoers time to destroy evidence. If the CID is working with the aim of allowing wrongdoers to escape, Mr Gunaratne warned that they would resort to a private plaint.
The best way to say that you found the home of your dreams is by finding it on Hitad.lk. We have listings for apartments for sale or rent in Sri Lanka, no matter what locale you're looking for! Whether you live in Colombo, Galle, Kandy, Matara, Jaffna and more - we've got them all!