Mount Lavinia Additional Magistrate Lochana Abeywickrama cancelled the permission granted to the former Army Chief of Staff and Commandant of the Defence Services Command and Staff College Major General, Amal Karunasekara, to travel to India, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) told the Daily News.
The CID had informed court that Karunasekara could be named as a suspect in the abduction and assault of journalist Keith Noyhr and the Court had ordered his foreign travel be suspended.
While court had banned him from overseas travel, he was appointed to the post of the Commandant of the Defence Services Command and Staff College, and he was scheduled to attend a tour of the College in India from April 1 to 7.
Major General Amal Karunasekara, meanwhile, had made an application to court to lift his travel ban, which was granted.
CID sources conducting the investigation told Daily News that a motion was filed by the CID on April 1 seeking a court order to re-impose the travel ban order.
The CID had informed court that they had discussed the matter with the Defence Secretary. He had told the CID that he was unaware that a travel ban had been imposed on the Major General. He had told the CID that he had not nominated Major General Amal Karunasekara for the tour, and that it had been done by the Army.
The case was called again yesterday (2), and the Army notified court that the foreign travel accorded to Major General Amal Karunasekara had been cancelled. Court cancelled the permission previously granted to him and reimposed his travel ban.
The CID said that the court had ordered Major General Amal Karunasekara to give a statement to the CID on April 5.