Schaffter’s body to be exhumed today

Colombo Additional Magistrate Rajinda Jayasuriya, who rejected the request of President’s Counsel who represented the deceased,  to exhume the body of Janashakti Group director, Dinesh Schaffter, ordered the family to appear at the Borella Public Cemetery today (24) to identify the body.

The Criminal Investigation Department informed court yesterday (24) that Schaffter’s body will be exhumed at 8.30 am today before the five-person expert medical committee under the supervision of the Magistrate.

President’s Counsel Anuja Premaratne, who appeared before court on behalf of the relatives of the family, asked court to allow the recovery of the body to be done in camera without opening it up to outside parties and to call the pathologist of his family to the place. The Magistrate stated that in such a situation where an independent committee has been appointed and decided to exhume the body without the support of any party, no order will be issued to interfere with it and she pointed out that problems may arise by calling the committee’s other people except the doctors. The magistrate also pointed out that after the body was exhumed in camera,there may be accusations that another body was exhumed and a post-mortem examination conducted secretly.

The Magistrate therefore rejected the request to exhume the body in camera.