Jaffna Courts issued order banning LTTE remembrance events

Jaffna Magistrate Court issued an Order today banning any kind of commemorative events to observe Maveerar Day after Kopay and Jaffna Police moved motions separately. Kopay police and Jaffna police named 37 & 14 persons respectively as respondents after filing B reports.

Senior Additional Solicitor General Haripriya Jayasundera submitted to court on three grounds arguing allowing such events pose threat to national security: under PTA (48), activities that would revive a terrorist organization is banned; she also cited 2011 Extraordinary gazette that banned LTTE preventing any rememberings of its cadres in the country. 

ASG argued allowing these events might lead to disharmony among communities violating clauses 3 (1,2) of ICCPR in which SL also a signatory. She sought Magistrate Court to ban such gatherings under 106 Code Of Criminal Procedure. 

ASG also submitted the COVID-19 precautionary measures saying there is a possibility that persons from abroad can enter into the country to take part in Maveerar commemorative events indirectly hinting persons from nIndia might enter into the country to take part in such commemorative events. 

Lawyers representing respondents reiterated that it is their basic right to  remember their loved ones who were killed during war. They indicated that the Govt is using Courts to issue such bans by using 106 of Criminal Code for matters they claim that would have an impact on national security. 

ASG also regretted and apologized to the Court for the insensitive remark made by Jaffna HQI last week ‘pittu and pizza’ comparison to describe the postwar lifestyle in Jaffna which she said, ‘poor choice of words’ . She noted it would have hurt the feelings of people in Jaffna and the members of Bar. Jaffna HQI also apologized in the open court.