By The Pulseline News Desk
The Court of Appeal has dismissed, without proceeding to a full hearing, a writ petition filed by former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa (GR) seeking to prevent his arrest or detention under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) in connection with investigations into the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks.
GR had asked the court to issue an order preventing the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) from arresting or detaining him as part of the ongoing investigations into the April 21, 2019 attacks.
The petition named the Inspector General of Police, CID Director Shani Abeysekera, the officer in charge of the CID’s Special Investigations Unit and the Attorney General as respondents.
The case had attracted attention because it sought judicial protection against possible arrest while investigations into one of Sri Lanka’s most serious post-war security incidents continue.
The Court of Appeal had previously heard submissions from lawyers representing both GR and the respondents before reserving its decision on whether the petition could proceed.
GR had also sought interim protection against arrest pending the determination of his petition.
During the earlier proceedings, however, the Attorney General’s Department has informed court that it could not give an undertaking that GR would not be arrested without first obtaining instructions from the relevant respondents.
The dismissal now leaves the former President without the interim protection he had sought through the writ proceedings.
The development comes as the CID continues its investigations into the Easter Sunday attacks, which killed more than 250 people and injured hundreds in coordinated bombings targeting churches and hotels.
The investigations remain ongoing, with questions surrounding the attacks, the intelligence failures that preceded them and the subsequent handling of the investigations continuing to generate political and legal scrutiny.
For GR, the dismissal removes a legal avenue he had pursued to obtain advance protection from arrest under the PTA. For investigators, the development leaves open the possibility of further investigative or legal action, subject to the applicable law and decisions by the relevant authoritie
Leave a comment