The Wattala Magistrate’s Court today (08) ordered the five-member experts’ committee to conduct post-mortem examinations on the 11 inmates who died in the Mahara Prison riot and to submit the report to the court.

When the legal action pertaining to the recent unrest at Mahara Prison was taken up yesterday (08), the Attorney General’s Department had requested the magistrate to permit the post-mortems of the deceased inmates to be carried out under a multidisciplinary committee, as per a request made by the legal counsel of the aggravated party requested for a fair autopsy.

State Counsel Nishara Jayaratne had appeared before the court on behalf of the Attorney General’s Department following a request made by DIG Ajith Rohana for the assistance of a State Counsel to proceed with the case.

Among the 11 inmates who died in the riot, 08 had tested positive for coronavirus posthumously, however, their final rites were delayed as the post-mortems were not concluded.

DIG Ajith Rohana recently stated that a court order is required for a post-mortem examination to be carried out on these deceased inmates and that the court order will depend on the ongoing inquiry into the riot incident.