After an 18-year legal battle, the Balapitiya High Court has sentenced one individual to death for the fatal shooting of a police officer during a raid in Baddegama in 2008.
The judgment was delivered by High Court Judge Ruchira Weliwatta, who ruled that the fourth accused in the case, widely known as “Kalutara Chooti,” was guilty of the murder. The convict, a resident of Kaamingala, Baddegama, was subsequently escorted to Welikada Prison following the sentencing.
The case had originally been filed by the Baddegama Police against four suspects — one male and three females — in connection with the killing of Police Constable Dilip Kumarasinghe during a raid operation carried out on November 30, 2008.
According to court proceedings, Police Constable Dilip Kumarasinghe and Police Sergeant Jagath Nandana, both attached to the Baddegama Police at the time, were conducting a raid when the shooting took place. Constable Kumarasinghe, who was a resident of Randombe, Balapitiya, was killed during the incident.
In the final ruling, the court acquitted the remaining three accused and ordered their release. It was also reported that one of those acquitted has since passed away.
The verdict brings a long-standing case to a close, nearly two decades after the fatal attack on the police officer during the line-of-duty operation.
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