The Jaffna Magistrate’s Court has granted permission to former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa to give evidence online in the ongoing case concerning the disappearance of activists Lalith Kumar Weeraraj and Kugan Muruganandan.

Lalith Kumar Weeraraj and Kugan Muruganandan of the Movement for People’s Struggle had disappeared in the Avarangal area on December 9, 2011, a day before a protest organized by them was to be held by relatives of those who disappeared during the war to mark International Human Rights Day in Jaffna.   

Subsequently, the relatives of Lalith and Kugan had filed a Habeas Corpus petition before the Court of Appeal in Colombo in 2012. During the hearing of the petition, the Court of Appeal directed the Jaffna Magistrate’s Court to record evidence from witnesses and submit a report regarding the alleged abduction.

Accordingly, proceedings commenced before the Jaffna Magistrate’s Court on September 19, 2012.

In 2017, then Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s name was included in the list of witnesses. The court subsequently ordered him to appear and testify. However, Rajapaksa repeatedly informed the court that he was unable to travel to Jaffna due to security concerns.

Accordingly, through his lawyers, he had sought permission to testify virtually via an online platform. The court had earlier instructed him to submit an affidavit confirming the alleged security threats.

When the case was taken up today (02), the Jaffna Magistrate’s Court has granted permission for Gotabaya Rajapaksa to appear before the court via video conference technology and have his testimony recorded online.