HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION OF SRI LANKA, Annual Report 2019 inquiries were either conclude or are nearing conclusion at the end of 2019. Total Number of cases Cases pending Cases in the final stages of conclusion & Cases concluded 1247 920 327 Statistics of the backlog unit 2019 3.2. Examples of individual complaints by category of rights 3.2.1. Custodial Constitution) ▪ violence (Article 11 of the Physical punishment meted out to a school student (Complaint No: HRC/AP/01/13) The HRCSL found a violation of article 11 of the Constitution by the Principal and a teacher of a public school in Aralaganwila for meting out physical punishment on a student for disciplinary purposes. The 2nd respondent teacher was accused of hitting the victim student with a stick for disobeying instructions to clean the classroom. Upon the incident being reported to the 1st respondent Principal of the school by the teacher, the victim student had allegedly been slapped a few times on the ear by the Principal without affording the victim an opportunity to explain himself. The Aralaganwila Police who had inquired into the matter pursuant to a complaint lodged by the victim’s father, reported its findings to the Commission upon summons. The report of the Judicial Medical Officer states that “there was a perforation of the left ear-drum and it was completely healed at the review (after 3 weeks) with no hearing impairment” three weeks after the incident. The Commission found that the teacher and principal in question have acted in violation of circulars No. 17/2005 and 12/2016 which prohibits corporal 55