Sri Lanka's president has said there is no reason for concern over the detention of Sarath Fonseka, the country's ex-army chief and defeated presidential candidate.
Mahinda Rajapaksa on Saturday said "due process" would be followed in dealing with Fonseka, who was arrested following allegations he was involved in a conspiracy against the government.
"The president has assured Ranil Wickremesinghe, the opposition leader, that there was no reason for any concern over Fonseka who is in detention," Rajapaksa's website said.
It quoted the president as saying that "no one was above the law" and said Fonseka's candidacy in the January 26 presidential polls had nothing to do with his arrest or the subsequent announcement that he is to be court-martialled.
Sri Lanka's supreme court announced on Friday that it would hear a petition submitted by Fonseka's wife calling for his arrest to be ruled illegal, and ordered the state to allow him family visits and medicines.
'Breach of rights'
"The court granted leave to proceed with the case because it appeared, on the face of it, there had been a breach of fundamental rights of General Fonseka," a court official told AFP news agency.
The court was scheduled to reconvene on February 23 for a further hearing.
The government has yet to specify the charges Fonseka will face, but Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, the defence secretary and the president's brother, said he had clearly been plotting a military coup.
Fonseka's detention has sparked international concern with the US, the EU and the UN, among others, asking Colombo to ensure that due process was followed and that democracy was not undermined.
It has also led to violent protests in Colombo between pro and anti-government demonstrators.
Fonseka was hailed a national hero for leading the army that finally crushed the separatist Tamil Tigers last May, ending their 37-year campaign for an independent Tamil homeland.
Fonseka, who quit the military in November, used his fame to enter politics as an opposition presidential candidate.
He was arrested on February 8, two weeks after being defeated in the elections by a solid margin by Rajapaksa.