Sri Lanka, March 11 -- The Supreme Court today ruled that the Fundamental Rights of a restaurant owner in Midigama had been violated by seven officers of the Department of Excise and ordered them to pay compensation from their personal funds.

The Court directed the officers to pay Rs. 75,000 each to the petitioner, amounting to a total of Rs. 525,000.

The petition was filed by Dinesh Priyadarshana Dodangoda, the owner of a restaurant in Midigama, who alleged that he was unlawfully arrested and assaulted by the officers during an incident that occurred between January 2 and January 4, 2023.

According to the petitioner, he had heard a commotion outside his restaurant and upon checking the CCTV cameras, observed several individuals assaul...