Mr. Rupasinghe was produced before Kaduwela magistrate Jayaki de Alwis this afternoon (Mar. 31).
He was arrested by Wellampitiya police earlier in the day on charges of making threatening calls and threatening at gunpoint the brother of a suspect in the arson attack on the website’s Malabe office.
The journalist is also accused of concealing the truth to a state official.
A team of lawyers appeared on behalf of him at the court, and one of them, attorney Maithri Gunaratne, accused police of making suspects out of the aggrieved party in the arson attack, at the instigation of an interested party.
The lawyer quoted March 27 issue of ‘Dinamina’, which said the mastermind behind the attack was to be arrested soon.
He asked the court that the 68-year-old suspect be given bail on any condition.
Making submissions, Wellampitiya Police Inspector OIC Ranjith Samaranayake and SI Chandradasa Meegahawatte rejected the accusations against police.
When the magistrate inquired about the pistol the suspect had reportedly used to issue his threats, police said they were yet to find the weapon.
The magistrate ordered the suspect be remanded, and be given medical treatment if necessary at the prison hospital.
The team of lawyers that appear for Mr. Rupasinghe also include Shiral Lakthilake, Gunaratne Wanninayake, Namal Rajapaksa, Manjula Pathiraja, Bandara Ekanayake and Nuwan Jayawardena.
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