Both Mr Sathasivam and the cook were arrested on suspicion and Mr Sathasivam was charged with murder owing to a confession by the cook. However, evidence showed that Mr Sathasivam was innocent, and the cook was later charged with perjury. Things came to a head when Mr. Meiappan was fired by Mr. Pope but union actions forced that he be hired back. The relationship between Mr. and Mrs. Seneviratne was a strained one where a fight had stemmed due to an alleged affair of Mr. Seneviratne with a servant girl. However, on appeal, the sentence was squashed, and Mr. Seneviratne was released after being in prison for 30 months.

Source: The Nation October 31, 2020 12:56 UTC