Sri Lanka’s judiciary today delivered an unprecedented twin verdict in connection with the 2019 Easter Sunday terrorist attacks, sentencing former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando and former Inspector General of Police Pujith Jayasundara to death for aiding and abetting the deaths caused by their alleged dereliction of official duties.
The cases were heard before the Colombo Permanent High Court Trial‑at‑Bar comprising Judges Priyantha Liyanage, Viraj Weerasuriya and Thilakarathna Bandara. In both matters, Judges Liyanage and Bandara ruled that the accused were guilty, while Judge Weerasuriya held that the prosecution had not proven the charges beyond reasonable doubt.
Verdict Against Hemasiri Fernando
Fernando was found guilty on 854 of the 855 charges filed against him. The charges relate to allegations that, despite receiving intelligence warnings of an imminent terrorist attack, he failed to take necessary preventive measures, thereby contributing to the deaths and injuries caused by the coordinated bombings on Easter Sunday 2019.
Verdict Against Pujith Jayasundara
Earlier in the day, the same Trial‑at‑Bar sentenced former IGP Jayasundara to death after finding him guilty—also on 854 of 855 charges—for failing to act on critical intelligence alerts. The court held that his inaction amounted to aiding and abetting the deaths that occurred during the attacks.
Significance
These twin rulings mark one of the most consequential judicial outcomes arising from the Easter Sunday tragedy, which claimed hundreds of lives and injured many more. The judgments underscore the court’s position that senior officials bear legal responsibility for failing to act on vital intelligence that could have prevented the attacks.