Further evidence in Rishad Bathiudeen case to be investigated

Further examination of evidence regarding the death of a minor domestic worker at a Colombo residence belonging to former Minister Rishad Bathiudeen is scheduled for May 5. Colombo Additional Magistrate Liyan Varusavithana issued the order today (17).

During the proceedings, the second witness, who is the brother of the deceased girl, provided testimony to the court. Following this, the magistrate postponed further hearings until the scheduled May date.

In previous sessions, the court ordered the release of the fourth suspect, Rishad Bathiudeen, and the fifth suspect, Bathiudeen Abdul Rishad, because there is no sufficient evidence against them. Consequently, the court directed that charges proceed against the following three defendants:

Ponnaiya Pandaram: Allegedly provided the girl for domestic service.

Ali Ibrahim Kidar Mohamed: Said to be the father-in-law of Rishad Bathiudeen.

Kidar Mohamed Shihabdeen Aisha: The wife of Rishad Bathiudeen.

The Children and Women's Bureau of the Colombo South Division filed charges against these three individuals for offenses including human trafficking and subjecting a person to cruelty through domestic labor.

The court previously heard that the minor, Hishalini Jude Kumar, a resident of Dayagama, died after her body caught fire. Borella Police, who conducted the initial investigation, reported that the first suspect, Ponnaiya Pandaram, handed the girl over to the residence on Bauddhaloka Mawatha for domestic work when she was 15 years old.

The police report states that after working at the house for several years, her body caught fire on July 3, 2021. She was admitted to the Colombo National Hospital and passed away on July 15. While Borella Police initiated the probe, the Colombo South Crime Division and the Children and Women's Bureau later took over the investigation. Authorities recorded statements from approximately 20 individuals, leading to the naming of the suspects in this case.