Ranjan Ramanayake given 2-year suspended sentence for second contempt charge

(LANKAPUVATH | COLOMBO) – Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court today sentenced former Samagi Jana Balawegaya parliamentarian Ranjan Ramanayake, who pleaded guilty to contempt of court, to rigorous imprisonment suspended for a period of five years.

The order was issued by a three-judge bench comprising Justices Buwaneka Aluvihare, LTB Dehideniya and Gamini Amarasekera.

The Registrar of Courts has filed the complaint alleging that Ranjan Ramanayake’s remarks on a television program regarding the five-judge bench hearing the fundamental rights petitions challenging the decision of then-President Maithripala Sirisena to dissolve Parliament in 2018 had insulted the judiciary.

Mr. Ranjan Ramanayake had earlier stated before the Supreme Court that he was not guilty of these allegations.

However, when the case was taken up in March, Ranjan Ramanayake pleaded guilty to the charges and the lawyers representing him had requested the court to impose a lenient sentence on him.

Accordingly, considering the submissions, the presiding judge Buwaneka Aluvihare sentenced Ramanayake to two years imprisonment with hard labor and suspended for five years.

Accordingly, if convicted of another offense within five years from today, this two-year imprisonment will be effective, explained the presiding judge of the three-judge bench to Ranjan Ramanayake in open court.

The judge further explained to Ramanayake that if he is not found guilty of any other offense within five years from today, he will be deemed not to have been sentenced under the Criminal Procedure Code.

 

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