• To complain to the Exams Dept. seeking impartial probe into allegation 

The Sri Lanka Law Students’ Union (SLLSU) demanded an impartial inquiry into the incident of Samagi Jana Balawegaya Opposition Parliamentarian Buddhika Pathirana, who is currently sitting for the second year of the Sri Lanka Law College (SLLC), being accused of copying during an examination held last week.

Pathirana was reportedly caught copying during one of the law exams for his second year at the SLLC by one of the examiners. It was reported that the examiner has reportedly complained of Pathirana’s conduct to the officer-in-charge of the exam hall. Several readymade answer scripts were recovered from his possession.

Speaking to The Daily Morning yesterday (31 October), the SLLSU President Navod Rathnasekara said that the SLLSU has already raised its concerns about the matter with the SLLC administration and demanded that there should be no biases during the inquiry. He also said that the SLLC administration had promised them to conduct an impartial investigation into the incident.

Rathnasekara added that the SLLSU is to file a complaint with the Examinations Department that conducted the examination, seeking measures to find the credibility of the allegation and to avoid such misconduct if something has taken place as it was alleged. “We are yet to file the complaint with the Department. We are going to request a separate inquiry from their end since they are the party responsible for holding this particular exam. Apart from that, we have already met the SLLC Principal and demanded that the ongoing investigations must be conducted impartially,” he added.

The said examination is held by the Department, and Pathirana has allegedly committed the aforementioned offence in the backdrop of strict policies being imposed in this regard. However, many parties have claimed that the incident is being covered up by the intervention of some of the top figures of the Opposition, whilst the examiner associated with the scene is being pressured to behave to the contrary, urging her to deny any knowledge of such incident.

Pathirana, when contacted by The Daily Morning, declined to comment citing legal advice due to the ongoing nature of the inquiries.

Several attempts made to contact the Commissioner General of Examinations Amith Jayasundara proved futile.