Appeals filed by defendants in Vidya murder fixed for hearing

The appeals filed by the defendants who were given the death penalty over the 2015 abduction, gang rape and murder of schoolgirl Sivaloganathan Vidya, seeking their acquittal from the sentences imposed on them, has been fixed for hearing by the Supreme Court.

The appeal petitions were taken up before the Supreme Court bench consisting of Justices Preethi Padman Surasena, Gamini Amarasekara and Arjuna Obeysekera today (March 20).

The judge bench, which considered the facts presented, ordered that the appeals be taken up for hearing on October 06.

The prison officers had produced the defendants of the relevant case including the chief accused “Swiss Kumar” before court, amid heavy security.

The Jaffna High Court, which heard the case filed over the abduction, gang rape and murder of 18-year-old  schoolgirl Sivaloganathan Vidya, gave the death penalty to the 07 accused including the chief suspect in the case ‘Swiss Kumar’ on September 27, 2017.  
 
Delivering the much-anticipated verdict after the widely publicised trial came to an end, the three-member judge bench had sentenced the 07 suspects to death and also ordered them to pay Rs. 1 million as compensation to the victim’s family.

In addition to the death penalty, the suspects were also sentenced to a further 30 years in prison.

Sivaloganathan Vidya, an 18-year-old schoolgirl from Punkudutivu, was abducted, gang-raped and murdered in Jaffna, whilst returning home from school on May 13, 2015. 

However, the appealing party seeks an order from the Supreme Court that the relevant death penalty be declared to have been imposed in violation of the law and to acquit them of the charges.