Secretary of the Ministry of Law and Order Nanda Mallawarachchi had informed Police Chief N.K. Illangakoon that there was no major threat to security of Bar Association President Upul Jayasooriya, Senior DIG Anura Senanayake told before the Colombo Chief Magistrate court today.
However, the Senior DIG said that security has been provided to the office and the private residence of Bar Association President who lodged a series of complaints with the Police on unidentified followers who were monitoring his movements.
The Secretary, according to the Senior DIG, has made the security assessment of Bar Association President based on intelligence reports obtained by him. "Therefore," Senanayake said, "there was no way of providing personal security to the Bar Association President."
Meanwhile, Gunaratne Wanninayake, counsel who appeared on behalf of the Sri Lanka Bar Association argued that the Police Department had provided security to underworld figure "Keselwatte Sandun" and former arms procurer of the LTTE Kumaran Pathmanathan alias KP.
Wanninayake asked the Senior DIG whether security was provided to such people based on recommendations of the security forces.
Upul Jayasuriya, Attorney-at-Law and senior human rights lawyer, was elected as the President of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka, in February, last year. Jayasuriya is a former Secretary of the BASL and an old boy of Royal College Colombo. He entered Law College in 1973 at the age of 17. He joined the Bar in 1976 at 21, as the youngest attorney at the time. He was appointed Chairman of Sri Lanka State Trading Tractor Corporation in 1982.
He was elected as the Secretary to the Bar Association of Sri Lanka for the period 1991-1993. During this period he initiated the filing of nearly 3,000 Fundamental Rights applications through the support of the BASL before the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka on behalf of those taken into custody in the 1989 insurrection.
