Postmortem reports of 28 deceased in Negombo prison clash presented to court

Seventeen individuals died from gunshot wounds and another 11 succumbed to assaults with blunt weapons during the recent incident inside the Negombo prison, .

Negombo Chief Magistrate Shilani Perera revealed these details in court today in presenting the post-mortem reports of the 28 deceased, submitted by the Negombo Judicial Medical Officer.

Before announcing the findings, the Magistrate firmly asserted her authority, declaring that the court holds the sole power over postmortem inquiries in cases of this nature.

Delivering a rather sharp reminder to anyone confused about the chain of command, she pointedly stated that the Judiciary is completely independent and the Police are certainly not the court.

Following this clarification, the Magistrate officially presented the postmortem reports to the court.