The Supreme Court today (22 May) ruled that the fundamental rights of four followers of the religious denomination “Jehovah’s Witnesses” were violated by the Walasmulla Police when they were arrested “without any justifiable reason” while engaged in religious proselytising activities, BBC Sinhala reported.

Accordingly, the Court ordered the then Officer-in-Charge of the Walasmulla Police Station, S.J.B. Suwaris, to pay compensation of Rs. 50,000 to each petitioner.

In addition, the Court directed the State to pay Rs. 25,000 each as further compensation.

The Supreme Court issued this ruling following its consideration of a petition filed by four members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses religious organisation: Kalyani de Silva, Mala Malkanthi, Nirupa Anthony, and Ama Liyanage.

The petitioners informed the Supreme Court that on 29 October 2014, while engaged in religious proselytising in the Walasmulla area, they were verbally abused by a Buddhist monk who arrived at the location. They further stated that a group of local residents, who later arrived at the scene along with the monk, also joined in verbally abusing them.

The petitioners claimed that although they contacted the police for protection, officers who arrived in two jeeps failed to provide assistance. Instead, they allegedly sided with the crowd and began verbally abusing the petitioners themselves.

Subsequently, the police arrested the petitioners without providing any justifiable reason and took them to the Walasmulla Police Station. They were later produced before the Magistrate’s Court, which ordered their release on bail.

Delivering the judgment, the Supreme Court bench observed that the police had failed to present any valid reason for the arrests at the time they were made.

Accordingly, the Court ruled that the arrests were unlawful and constituted a violation of the petitioners’ fundamental rights.

The verdict was delivered by a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court.