Expert Panel’s report on Schaffter’s death cause today

Colombo Additional Magistrate Rajindra Jayasuriya yesterday (31) postponed the announcement of the decision of the five-member expert medical panel over the death of Janashakthi Group Director Dinesh Schaffter until today.

The five member expert committee was appointed to asceartain whether it was a suicide or a murder. The Magistrate issued this order after the five-member expert medical committee appointed by the court to find the cause of Dinesh Schaffter’s death sealed the report stating the cause of death and handed it over to court.

The panel of experts has prepared this report after the second post-mortem examination on the body of Dinesh Schaffter held at the Karapitiya Hospital, Galle.

While a motion was presented to court on behalf of the relatives of the deceased, requesting that the medical board’s report be given to them, the Magistrate rejected the request before the court issues the order today. The Magistrate mentioned that an independent committee worked to find out only the cause of death.

Rejecting the relevant request, the magistrate stated that there is no provision in the law that allows external parties to be presented with facts in such an investigation.

The Magistrate who expressed her gratitude to the expert medical committee expressed her appreciation for supporting this investigation on the basis of court orders in the midst of University duties.

The Additional Magistrate ordered to take the necessary steps to hand over Schaffter’s body which was at the Karapitiya Hospital to his brothers and ordered the Criminal Investigation Department to take necessary steps to provide the required facilities to bury the dead body at the Jawatte Cemetery. Colombo University’s Forensic Specialist Prof.Asela Mendis served as the chairman of this five-member medical committee, while the other members comprised of Prof.D.C.R. Perera of the Ruhunu University, Prof.D.Fernando, forensic specialist of Peradeniya University, Senior Judicial Medical Officer of the Peradeniya Hospital A.Sivasubramaniam and Galle Senior Judicial Medical Officer of the Karapitiya Hospital G.R. Ruwanpura and were nominated by the Magistrate.

The Magistrate had appointed this five-member medical committee to determine the cause of Dinesh Schaffter’s death. According to the powers assigned in Section 375 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

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