The Vavuniya High Court has sentenced former Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police (SDIG) Lalith Jayasinghe to four years rigorous imprisonment for facilitating the release of a suspect connected to the 2015 murder of schoolgirl Sivaloganathan Vidya in Punkudutivu.

High Court Judge M.M. Mihar also imposed a fine of Rs. 50,000 on Jayasinghe, with an additional six-month prison term to be served in the event of non-payment.

Vidya, an 18-year-old schoolgirl from Punkudutivu, was abducted, gang-raped, and murdered in Jaffna on 13 May 2015, while returning home from school. The main suspect, known as ‘Swiss Kumar’, was apprehended by local residents and handed over to the police.

Jayasinghe, who was arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department on July 15, 2017, was found guilty of aiding the suspect’s escape while in custody.

The High Court ruled that the prosecution had proven the allegations beyond reasonable doubt.

The judge also issued open warrants for the arrest of Sri Gajan, a former Sub-Inspector of the Crime Investigation Division of Kayts Police, who was also named as an accused in the case.

The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) on Friday announced that it is making significant progress toward launching the Maha Oya Pumped Storage Hydropower Project, Sri Lanka’s first-ever “Water Battery”.

In a statement the Board said this groundbreaking 600 MW initiative will store excess renewable energy from solar and wind sources, ensuring grid stability and supporting Sri Lanka’s goal of generating 70 percent  of its electricity from renewables by 2030.

The project, located in Aranayake and Nawalapitiya, will feature two reservoirs connected by a 2.5 km tunnel, operating as a large-scale energy storage system, the CEB stated. Water from the lower reservoir will be pumped to the upper when renewable (solar, wind) energy is available for the purpose.

By reducing dependence on fossil fuels and lowering carbon emissions, the project will play a crucial role in Sri Lanka’s transition to sustainable energy, it said.

The CEB aims to secure long-term funding from international agencies to minimize impacts on electricity tariffs while ensuring affordability for consumers, the statement said.

The Maha Oya project represents a major step toward energy independence, providing grid support for renewable energy absorption while fostering economic growth, job creation, and environmental sustainability, the Board added.

Fifty new signal towers in poor reception areas

From June this year, mobile phone users in Sri Lanka will be able to retain their existing numbers even after switching mobile network operators, according to officials from the Ministry of Digital Economy.

 The announcement was made during a meeting of the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Digital Economic Affairs held on Thursday (20).

In a statement issued on Friday, the Parliament’s Communication Division confirmed that the Ministry of Digital Economy is also constructing 50 new mobile signal towers in areas with poor network coverage to enhance connectivity.

The meeting, chaired by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, also addressed several key digital policy issues. The discussion included cryptocurrency regulation, with the President stating that a final decision on its legality in Sri Lanka would be based on recommendations from the Governor of the Central Bank.

Other topics covered during the meeting included measures to safeguard citizens’ personal data, strategies for managing emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, and discussions regarding the salaries of IT engineers.

Meanwhile, the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Digital Economic Affairs is set to hold a workshop on March 10, 2025 to brief all Members of Parliament on upcoming government programmes related to the digital economy.