A Sri Lankan court granted bail on Thursday to a Muslim doctor accused of having sterilised over 4,000 women from the Sinhalese Buddhist majority, his lawyer said, a deeply sensitive case in a country long dogged by communal bloodshed.

Shegu Shihabdeen Mohamed Shafi, who has denied the allegations, was given bail of 2.75 million rupees, defence lawyer Faris Saly told Reuters after a five-hour hearing in Kurunagala magistrates court in northwestern Sri Lanka.

"He was arrested (in May) under a bailable offence and the judge found no reason to refuse bail today," Saly said.

Police stood guard at the court and surrounding area in the South Asian country's Buddhist heartland, 105 km (65 miles) north of the capital Colombo, where Buddhist monks and other local residents had sought Shafi's continued detention.

The allegations are incendiary on an island where hardliners within the Buddhist majority have accused Muslims of seeking to use a higher birth rate to spread their influence.

Sri Lanka has a long history of communal violence. A decades-long, devastating civil war between the Sinhalese and the mainly Hindu Tamil minority ended in 2009.

Shafi’s supporters have said he is innocent and the charges were whipped up to stoke inter-communal tensions in the wake of bombings of churches and hotels on Easter Sunday that killed more than 250 people, blamed on Islamist militants.

He was arrested two days after a front-page story appeared in a nationalist newspaper alleging that an unidentified doctor had sterilized as many as 4,000 women after performing caesarean deliveries.

“All the charges are baseless and fabricated,” Shafi’s lawyer Anura Bhandara Mattegoda told an earlier court hearing.

Shafi’s supporters have said he is innocent and the charges were whipped up to stoke inter-communal tensions in the wake of bombings of churches and hotels on Easter Sunday that killed more than 250 people, blamed on Islamist militants.

A Sri Lankan court granted bail on Thursday to a Muslim doctor accused of having sterilised over 4,000 women from the Sinhalese Buddhist majority, his lawyer said, a deeply sensitive case in a country long dogged by communal bloodshed.

A Sri Lankan court granted bail on Thursday to a Muslim doctor accused of having sterilised over 4,000 women from the Sinhalese Buddhist majority, his lawyer said, a deeply sensitive case in a country long dogged by communal bloodshed. Shegu Shihabdeen Mohamed Shafi, who has denied the allegations, was given bail of 2.75 million rupees, defence lawyer Faris Saly told Reuters after a five-hour hearing in Kurunagala magistrates court in northwestern Sri Lanka. "He was arrested (in May) under a bailable offence and the judge found no reason to refuse bail today," Saly said. Police stood guard at the court and surrounding area in the South Asian country's Buddhist heartland, 105 km (65 miles) north of the capital Colombo, where Buddhist monks and other local residents had sought Shafi's continued detention. The allegations are incendiary on an island where hardliners within the Buddhist majority have accused Muslims of seeking to use a higher birth rate to spread their influence. Sri Lanka has a long history of communal violence. A decades-long, devastating civil war between the Sinhalese and the mainly Hindu Tamil minority ended in 2009. Shafi’s supporters have said he is innocent and the charges were whipped up to stoke inter-communal tensions in the wake of bombings of churches and hotels on Easter Sunday that killed more than 250 people, blamed on Islamist militants. He was arrested two days after a front-page story appeared in a nationalist newspaper alleging that an unidentified doctor had sterilized as many as 4,000 women after performing caesarean deliveries. “All the charges are baseless and fabricated,” Shafi’s lawyer Anura Bhandara Mattegoda told an earlier court hearing. Shafi’s supporters have said he is innocent and the charges were whipped up to stoke inter-communal tensions in the wake of bombings of churches and hotels on Easter Sunday that killed more than 250 people, blamed on Islamist militants.

Sri Lanka court grants bail for doctor accused of sterilising Buddhist women

A top Sri Lankan court Monday dismissed a petition seeking to test President Maithripala Sirisena's mental health for firing Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and dissolving Parliament, controversial moves which plunged the country into unprecedented political crisis.

On October 26, President Sirisena, 67, sacked Ranil Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister and replaced him with ex-strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa, triggering the never-seen-before political and constitutional impasse which lasted for over two months.

The two-judge bench of the Court of Appeal dismissed with costs the petition filed by a woman named Thakshila Lakmali Jayawardena, saying it had no authority to hear the case.

The court ordered Jayawardena to pay Rs 100,000 as legal costs.

Jayawardena sought an order directing the police chief scrutinise Sirisena's mental state. The petition called for a medical report on the President's mental status.

Jayawardena's Attorney said after filing the case that President's unusual actions warranted a medical check up on his mental status.

The petition was filed before the Supreme Court order on December 13 which ruled that Sirisena's action to dissolve parliament to call fresh parliamentary election was unconstitutional and illegal.

Sirisena move to sack Wickremesinghe was described as a "constitutional coup" by the prime minister's supporters, arguing that the president had no power to sack a sitting Prime Minister as per the 19th amendment to the Constitution.

Sirisena's appointment of Rajapaksa was also questioned in the court as the Wickremesinghe camp questioned as to how Rajapaksa functioned in the prime minister's job when he had failed to prove his parliamentary majority.

Rajapaksa sought to secure a majority in the 225-member Parliament but failed. Sirisena then dissolved Parliament and called snap elections on January 5.

However, the Supreme Court overturned his decision and halted the preparations for snap poll. Sirisena and Rajapaksa suffered reversal setbacks, forcing the president to reinstate Wickremesinghe as the prime minister.

A top Sri Lankan court Monday dismissed a petition seeking to test President Maithripala Sirisena's mental health for firing Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and dissolving Parliament, controversial moves which plunged the country into unprecedented political crisis.

A top Sri Lankan court Monday dismissed a petition seeking to test President Maithripala Sirisena's mental health for firing Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and dissolving Parliament, controversial moves which plunged the country into unprecedented political crisis. On October 26, President Sirisena, 67, sacked Ranil Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister and replaced him with ex-strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa, triggering the never-seen-before political and constitutional impasse which lasted for over two months. The two-judge bench of the Court of Appeal dismissed with costs the petition filed by a woman named Thakshila Lakmali Jayawardena, saying it had no authority to hear the case. The court ordered Jayawardena to pay Rs 100,000 as legal costs. Jayawardena sought an order directing the police chief scrutinise Sirisena's mental state. The petition called for a medical report on the President's mental status. Jayawardena's Attorney said after filing the case that President's unusual actions warranted a medical check up on his mental status. The petition was filed before the Supreme Court order on December 13 which ruled that Sirisena's action to dissolve parliament to call fresh parliamentary election was unconstitutional and illegal. Sirisena move to sack Wickremesinghe was described as a "constitutional coup" by the prime minister's supporters, arguing that the president had no power to sack a sitting Prime Minister as per the 19th amendment to the Constitution. Sirisena's appointment of Rajapaksa was also questioned in the court as the Wickremesinghe camp questioned as to how Rajapaksa functioned in the prime minister's job when he had failed to prove his parliamentary majority. Rajapaksa sought to secure a majority in the 225-member Parliament but failed. Sirisena then dissolved Parliament and called snap elections on January 5. However, the Supreme Court overturned his decision and halted the preparations for snap poll. Sirisena and Rajapaksa suffered reversal setbacks, forcing the president to reinstate Wickremesinghe as the prime minister.

Sri Lanka court dismisses plea to check Sirisena's mental health

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Sri Lanka court grants bail for doctor accused of sterilising Buddhist women

Sri Lanka court dismisses plea to check Sirisena's mental health

Breaking News: Sri Lankan court restrains Mahinda Rajapaksa from acting as PM