CJ puts brakes on illegal speed limits

Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva on Friday ordered Police to pull down all illegal sign boards of speed limits put up on main roads as hapless motorists were being forced to either face prosecution or pay bribes to the police to get away. The Chief Justice delivering a judgment in a Fundamental Rights case noted there were different sign boards giving various speed limits though the speed limit in the city should be 56 Kmph and 72 Kmph outside the city. Therefore all boards which were against the laws should be removed.

The Chief Justice said that Police officers were given promotion on the number of cases they handled. Instead, they should be given promotion on merit. He noted that motorists were some times penalized on wrong speed limits. The directive to pull down the illegal sign boards came as the Chief Justice delivered a judgment related to a Fundamental Rights application filed by a couple living in Saliyapura, Anuradhapura.

They claimed they had been victimized by the police in an illicit liquor case. The petition was filed by Padma Wijesooriya and her husband M. Christie who is paralyzed on the right side of the body after suffering serious head injuries in another incident.

In the case the couple had claimed that they were arrested in connection with possession of illicit liquor by officers of the Puttalam and Saliyawewa police post and in some of the instances the petitioners were compelled to bribe the officers of the Saliyawewa police post or voluntarily surrender some of the illicit liquour to provide a certain number of cases for the police every month.

They claimed their rights had been violated by two police constables and a Police Assistant attached to the Saliyapura post. The Police Assistant had allegedly demanded a bribe and sexual favours from the woman. The Police Assistant had arrived at the couple’s house with another officer and demanded Rs. 2,000 along with another Rs. 200 for ‘petrol”, the couple alleged. The petitioners said they had given Rs. 1,100 and told the police they had no more money.

The woman had informed the Police Assistant that there were two warrants issued on her and that she would surrender herself to court as soon as she finds the money to pay the fine and also appealed to him not to harass her until then. The Police Assistant had replied asking the woman to ‘help’ him saying ‘Udaw Karanna, Apith Udaw Karannan’ (Help, we too can help). He also told her that he is coming at midnight which was understood by the petitioner as an immoral proposition of sexual intercourse and was strongly rejected by her.

The Police Assistant had entered through a window at night and when the woman screamed ‘Thief – thief’ her husband, daughter and neighbours were woken up. The Police Assistant had escaped leaving his motorcycle. The following day a group of policemen had arrived smashed the windows, taken the husband and wife to the police and assaulted and abused them. The woman had pleaded not to assault her husband who is partially disabled. The Supreme Court ordered the Police Assistant to pay the petitioners Rs. 100,000 and the state was ordered to pay Rs. 50,000.