Nugegoda Magistrate Ruwandika Marasinghe has directed the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to name Education Ministry Secretary Nalaka Kaluwewa as a suspect and produce him in court if evidence links him to the incident in which a web address directing students to an adult website was included in English Language Modules 1, 2, and 3, published under the new Grade 6 education reforms.
The magistrate also ordered the CID to conduct a thorough investigation to determine whether the inclusion of the web address was deliberate, accidental, or the result of negligence.
Additionally, Magistrate Marasinghe instructed the CID to submit, as court evidence, the teacher training manual and the module printed after proofreading, both of which reportedly contained the web address to the adult site.
The orders followed submissions by lawyers representing the Association of Education Professionals (AEP) and the Grade Principals’ Association (GPA), concerning the CID investigation into a complaint filed by Mr. Kaluwewa. The magistrate further directed the CID to record statements from all individuals who had lodged complaints about the incident.
During the hearing, Maithri Gunaratne, PC, appearing with attorneys Dinura Jayasinghe and Kisal Senanayake for AEP Secretary Ven. Ulapane Sumangala Thera, told the court that the CID had been investigating only the complaint made by the Education Ministry Secretary, ignoring earlier complaints, including those from his client.
He argued that the CID’s focus on Mr. Kaluwewa’s complaint—despite him being a potential suspect—appeared aimed at shielding the actual wrongdoers. He also claimed that printing the modules containing the offensive web address resulted in a loss of over Rs. 60 million to the state.
In response to a question from the magistrate, Chief Inspector Kelum Karunaratne, officer-in-charge of the CID’s Special Investigation Unit, stated that statements had been recorded from 35 individuals. He added that extensive statements had been taken from two National Institute of Education (NIE) lecturers involved in drafting the modules.
CI Karunaratne further said that a forensic investigation is underway on the electronic devices and data used in compiling the modules. Investigators are also reviewing emails exchanged between the two lecturers and the NIE’s senior assistant director.
However, Lawyer Gunaratne accused the CID of deliberately delaying the investigation, which could allow the perpetrators to destroy evidence. He warned that if the CID continues in a manner that protects wrongdoers, the AEP would file a private plaint.
