The BAR Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) has taken exception to a request made by the Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) that a lawyer surrender his mobile phone following a recent incident.
The BASL has, in letter to Acting Inspector General of Police Priyantha Weerasuriya, said that attorney-at-law Dinesh Dodangoda has complained that the CCD officers asked him to hand over his mobile phone to it, following an attack on him and his client, Thusitha Hallouwa, a former Director to President Wickremesinghe, recently in Colombo.
The letter has been signed by BASL President Rajeev Amarasuriya and Secretary Chathura A. Galhena.
The BASL has said the CCD’s request is unlawful, as the mobile phone of an attorney-at-law, which may contain confidential personal and professional information, cannot be taken into custody without a proper court order.
“The rights of attorneys-at-law to engage in their professional work in a free and fair atmosphere are vital for the proper dispensation of justice,” the BASL has stated.