The High Court today ordered the former President of Sri Lanka, Maithripala Sirisena, to pay 100 million rupees as compensation to the victims of the Easter attack in Sri Lanka.
On October 5, 2022, the investigations into 12 fundamental rights violation petitions filed in the High Court against many people, including former President Maithripala Sirisena, alleging that their fundamental rights were violated due to the failure to prevent the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks despite having sufficient intelligence information.
Judgment
In this case, the judgment of the petitions was given today. These fundamental rights petitions were heard by Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya, Justices Bhubaneka Aluvihara, LDP Tehithenia, Murtu Fernando, S. Durairaja, A.H.M.D. Nawaz and Shiran Gunaratna were taken for questioning before a seven-judge bench.
The High Court concluded the case and announced that all the parties should submit their written submissions within 3 weeks from October 5, 2022. In this situation, the judgment of the case was postponed without any announcement of the date.
Justice Tehithenia, who is part of the panel of judges who heard the case, will retire on the 13th, and today the verdict on the petitions was announced on the 12th.
Petition
These fundamental rights violation petitions were filed by 12 parties, including Nandana Sirimanna, a father who lost his two children in the Resurrection Sunday suicide bombing, Janaka Vidhanake, a tourism businessman, two Catholic priests, Moditta Ekanayake, a lawyer caught in the Shangrilla Hotel bombing, Catholic religious leaders, and the Sri Lankan Lawyers Association.
The defendants include former President Maithripala Sirisena, former Prime Minister and current President Ranil Wickremesinghe, former Defense Secretary Hemasiri Fernando, former Police Commissioner Poojita Jayasundara, former Director of the National Intelligence Service Senior Deputy Commissioner of Police Nilantha Jayawardena, Chief of the National Intelligence Service Sirisena Mendis and others. were named.
On October 2, 2019, the High Court announced that these 12 petitions were admissible for hearing. Since then, hearings were held on the petition. Advocate Kamini Perera, Advocate Darshana Veraduvake, Advocate Vardhani Karunaratne, Advocate Laxon Dias, Advocate Principal Saliya Peiris, Senior Advocate Rushti Habib, Advocate Advocate Sanjiva Jayawardena, Advocate Tanuka Nandasiri, Advocate Advocate Manokara de Silva and others appeared and presented their arguments on behalf of the petitioners.
Advocate for Ranil
A panel comprising Senior Additional Solicitor General of the Attorney General’s Department Priyantha Navana, Additional Solicitor General Narin Pulle, Senior Deputy Solicitor General Dilipa Peiris, Deputy Solicitor General Avanti Perera, Senior State Counsel Surekha Ahmed and State Counsel Induni Punjihewa appeared for some of the respondents.
Senior Advocate Suren Fernando appeared on behalf of President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Senior Advocate Viran Koraya on behalf of former Police Commissioner Poojita Jayasundara, and President Advocate Pais Mustapha on behalf of former President Maithripala Sirisena.
Advocate General Mohan Weerakoon, Advocate General Anuja Premarathne, Advocate General Dulinda Weerasuriya, Advocate Sudarshana Gunawardena, Advocate K.V.S. Gunasekararajan and others were present.
Judgment of the High Court
In this case, the High Court announced on September 26, 2022 that the cases against the current President Ranil Wickramasinghe, who was named as one of the defendants, cannot be proceeded with.
The High Court had declared that a case under Article 35 (1) of the Constitution cannot be taken against the sitting President.
It is in such a background that the hearings related to these petitions have been concluded and the verdict was delivered today.