Senior Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Nilantha Jayawardena has been dismissed from the Sri Lanka Police service following a disciplinary inquiry into his conduct as Director of the State Intelligence Service (SIS) prior to the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings.

The National Police Commission announced that Jayawardena was found guilty of all charges in connection with his failure to act on intelligence that could have prevented the coordinated terror attacks of 21 April 2019, which claimed over 250 lives and injured hundreds more.

The decision to dismiss him was taken at the Commission’s sitting on 17 July 2025, based on the findings of a formal inquiry and supporting documentation. The offences cited fall under the First Schedule of the Establishments Code and were deemed serious enough to warrant immediate removal from service.

Jayawardena, who had been on compulsory leave throughout the investigation, served as the SIS Director during the period leading up to the bombings. His role came under heavy scrutiny during multiple probes, including the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the Easter attacks.