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SC reserves ruling on 13 FR petitions on Easter Attacks

06 Oct 2022

BY Buddhika Samaraweera The Supreme Court (SC) reserved its judgment with regard to a total of 13 fundamental rights (FR) petitions filed by several parties including the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) seeking an order to prosecute those who were directly or indirectly responsible for the Easter Sunday terror attacks of 2019. When the petitions were taken up before a seven-judges bench presided over by Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya (PC) yesterday (5), arguments made by the petitioners and the respondents were concluded, and both parties were ordered to file written submissions within three weeks. The SC also announced that it will deliver the judgement regarding the petitioners in due course. The bench also comprised Justices Buwaneka Aluwihare (PC), L.T.B. Dehideniya, Murdu Fernando (PC), S. Thurairaja PC, A.H.M.D. Nawaz, and Shiran Gooneratne. Senior Additional Solicitor General Priyantha Nawana (PC) appeared for Attorney General Sanjay Rajaratnam (PC). Saliya Pieris (PC), Sanjeewa Jayawardena (PC), Manohara de Silva (PC), Gamini Perera, Darshana Weraduwage, and Chrishmal Warnasuriya appeared for the petitioners.  Faiszer Musthapha (PC) appeared for former President and incumbent MP Maithripala Sirisena, while Viran Corea appeared for former Inspector General of Police Pujith Jayasundara, Anuja Premaratne (PC) appeared for former Defence Ministry Secretary Hemasiri Fernando, and Shammil Perera (PC) appeared for Archbishop of Colombo Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith. Several parties including the Catholic Church and the BASL, through these petitions, seek an order to prosecute those who were directly or indirectly responsible for the Easter Sunday terror attacks, and to compensate the victims and family members of those who were killed in the bombings. Meanwhile, the SC recently announced that proceedings in respect of these FR petitions cannot be continued against former Prime Minister and incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe. On 21 April 2019, Easter Sunday, three Churches (the St. Sebastian’s Church in Katuwapitiya, the St. Anthony’s Church in Kochchikade, and the Zion Church in Batticaloa) and three luxury hotels in Colombo (Cinnamon Grand, The Kingsbury, and Shangri-La) were targeted in a series of co-ordinated suicide bombings. Later that day, another two bomb explosions took place at a house in Dematagoda and the Tropical Inn Lodge in Dehiwala. A total of 269 people excluding the bombers were killed in the bombings, including about 45 foreign nationals, while at least 500 were injured.  


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