Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has filed a petition in the Court of Appeal seeking an order to prevent his arrest in connection with the ongoing investigations into the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks. The petition specifically seeks protection under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA).
The former president's legal team, initially led by Attorney-at-Law Sanath Wijewardena, named several key officials as respondents. These include Inspector General of Police Priyantha Weerasooriya, Director of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Shani Abeysekara, OIC of the Special Investigation Unit of the CID Madhava Gunawardena, and the Attorney General, among others.
In his petition, Rajapaksa addresses a travel ban reportedly imposed by the Fort Magistrate’s Court, which he states he learned of through media reports. This travel ban is allegedly linked to investigations stemming from allegations made by Asad Moulana in a Channel 4 documentary concerning the Easter attacks. Rajapaksa denies any involvement in the Easter Sunday attacks and asserts that he has never been questioned by police regarding them. He also expressed a belief that CID Director Shani Abeysekara may be acting with malice or ill will towards him in conducting the investigation. The petition was filed following a June 3 order by the Colombo Fort Magistrate's Court and is reportedly based on a statement made by Rev. Jude Fernando, Director of the Centre for Society and Religion, on October 11, 2024.
The petition was first called before the Court of Appeal on June 17th. The initial bench included President of the Court of Appeal Justice Rohantha Abeysooriya and Justice Priyantha Fernando. However, Justice Priyantha Fernando recused himself from the hearing due to personal reasons. The Attorney General informed the court that respondents had not yet received instructions, explaining that relevant documents were only received that morning. The petitioner's counsel, President's Counsel Romesh de Silva, sought an interim order.
Following the recusal, the petition was later called before a reconstituted bench comprising Court of Appeal President Justice Rohantha Abeysooriya and Justice Sarath Dissanayake. This bench ordered the case to be taken up for consideration on June 18th for the verification of facts.
The hearing continued on June 18th before the same bench of Justice Rohantha Abeysooriya and Justice Sarath Dissanayake. President's Counsel Romesh de Silva is making submissions on behalf of the petitioner, while Deputy Solicitor General Suharshi Herath is presenting arguments for the respondents.