Renuka Perera, the Administrative Secretary of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), who was arrested by the Computer Crimes Unit of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), has been released on bail. The arrest was linked to a Facebook post that falsely portrayed a video of an LTTE commemoration in Australia as footage from a Mahaveer Day event in Sri Lanka.
Colombo Additional Magistrate Manjula Ratnayake ordered Perera’s release today on a personal bail of Rs. 1 million.
During the hearing, the Magistrate instructed the CID to apprehend and present individuals who had actually organized Mahaveer Day commemorations in Sri Lanka, rather than focusing on those who merely shared videos online.
The Magistrate highlighted that the accusations against Perera did not fall under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and lacked evidence under Section 120 of the Penal Code. He criticized the CID, stating, “Do not harm the messenger in cases where substantial evidence is absent.”
The Magistrate emphasized that simply sharing videos on social media does not ethically justify treating individuals as suspects and called for adherence to minimum ethical standards when making arrests. He further provided an example where legal action was taken against a perpetrator in a past incident of child abuse, but not against those who shared the video of the incident.
Concluding the session, the Magistrate reiterated that individuals responsible for organizing Mahaveer Day events, rather than those who posted related videos, should be held accountable and presented in court.
