Sri Lanka – Supreme Court orders former President Sirisena to pay Rs.100 mn as compensation over the Easter Sunday attack
The Supreme Court Yesterday, 12th January ordered former President Maithripala Sirisena , former Inspector General of Police Pujith Jayasundara, former Defense Secretary Hemasiri Fernando, former Director of State Intelligence Nilantha Jayawardena and former National Intelligence Chief Sisira Mendis to compensate the victims of the bomb attack for not preventing the Easter Sunday bombing.
Accordingly, the Supreme Court ordered former President Maithripala Sirisena to pay a sum of Rs.100 million as damages to the victims of Easter Sunday attacks.
And Former IGP Pujith Jayasundara and former SIS director Nilantha Jayawardhane were ordered to pay Rs.75 million each as compensation. Former Defense Secretary Hemasiri Fernando was ordered to pay Rs. 50 million and former Chief National Intelligence Sisira Mendis was ordered to pay Rs.10 million.
Yesterday, a panel of seven judges gave the final verdict in the case related to the 13 fundamental rights petitions that had been filed in the wake of the Supreme Court’s failure to prevent the Easter Sunday bombings.
From the verdict given by the Supreme Court mentioned, based on these indicia the State should pay fair compensation for the pain, agony, distress, suffering and destruction undergone by the victims and families as a result of the contraventions by the Respondents we have identified.
We direct the State to pay Rs 1 million as such compensation to the Victim Fund we have already ordered to be established at the Office for Reparation. This sum would be in addition to the compensation that the State had decided to pay by way of its cabinet decision, on which we have called for a report through the Attorney General.
Victims of the Easter attack, Catholic priests and the Sri Lanka Bar Association filed basic rights petitions against the Supreme Court.
Attorney Jagath Gamini Perera, who appeared for the petitioners, stated that this is a historical judgment that cannot be changed and cannot be appealed again, given by 07 judges.
269 people were killed and more than 500 injured in the Easter attack on April 21, 2019.
