Easter attacks: Appeal against former IGP’s acquittal over taken up in court
July 4, 2023 11:58 am
Former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Pujith Jayasundara was present before the Supreme Court on Tuesday (04 July), when a petition filed against his acquittal over the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks was taken up in court.
An appeal was filed by the Attorney General, seeking the dismissal of an order issued by the Colombo High Court on 18 February 2022, acquitting the former IGP in the case against him over criminal negligence of duty by failing to prevent the 2019 attacks, despite receiving sufficient intelligence information beforehand.
Accordingly, the relevant petition was heard before a five-judge bench of the Supreme Court, chaired by Justice Preethi Padman Surasena, this morning.
Former IGP Jayasundara and former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando were arrested for allegedly failing to prevent the coordinated terror attacks orchestrated by the now-banned terror group National Thowheed Jamaath (NTJ) which claimed the lives of over 250 persons and injured approximately 500 more people on Easter Sunday in 2019.
A total of 855 charges of criminal negligence had been laid against the duo, individually.
The verdict pertaining to their acquittal was delivered by Colombo High Court Trial-at-Bar Namal Balalle, Aditya Patabendige, and Mohamed Irshadeen.
