Maldivian man ordered to pay Rs.1500 as crown cost

A Maldivian student studying in Sri Lanka was ordered to pay a sum of Rs.1500 as crown cost by a Colombo Court for having a cannabis stick in his possession when he was stopped by police in the Kollupitiya area.

The 24-year-old Maldivian national, who was taken into police custody while he was on Schofield Place in Colombo 3, was produced before Colombo Fort Magistrate Kanishka Wijeratne. Defence Counsel L.A.A. Cardos, moved Court that his client be released from the case because he was pursu- ing a degree in Sri Lanka. Mr. Cardos informed Court that according to the section 306 of the Criminal Procedure Code the Magistrate had the right to release an accused from the case without a conviction. Taking into considerations the provisions of Section 306 of the Criminal Procedure Code. Magistrate released the suspect from the case and ordered him to pay an amount of Rs.1500 as crown cost. According to Section 306 of the Criminal Procedure Code an accused can be released on certain grounds such as his character, antecedents, age, health, or mental condition.