Manipay police have arrested two persons in connection with the ongoing investigation into the killing of a person who returned from Switzerland recently.

The suspects were apprehended in the Tellippalai area.

Police said that following the killing, gold jewellery and other valuables had been robbed. Police believe that the suspect had come to buy jewellery on the invitation of the victim and then killed him before making off the gold.

The incident took place on o6 June. The suspects were to be produced before the Jaffna Magistrate.

By Dinasena Ratugamage

The Deputy High Commissioner of Sri Lanka in Chennai, Dr. Ganesanathan Geathiswaran, attended the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing ceremony between the University of Vavuniya, Sri Lanka and the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) on 29 May 2026 at IIT Madras.

The delegation from the University of Vavuniya was led by Vice-Chancellor, Prof. A. Atputharajah, and included Acting Registrar, R. Jeyakumar; Bursar, L. Ram Ramanan; Dean of the Faculty of Business Studies, Janaki Thevaruban; Dean of the Faculty of Technological Studies, V. Senthooran; Representative of the Faculty of Applied Science, N. Edwin Linosh and Director of the Centre for International Affairs, Dr. Koperunthevy Kalainathan.

The MoU marks a significant step towards strengthening academic cooperation, research collaboration, student and faculty exchanges, and institutional partnerships between the two higher education institutions.

Addressing the gathering, Dr. Geathiswaran congratulated both institutions on this important milestone and highlighted the growing educational and people-to-people ties between Sri Lanka and India. He expressed confidence that the partnership would create valuable opportunities for innovation, knowledge sharing, and academic excellence, further enhancing bilateral cooperation in higher education.

The Free Lawyers’ organisation has opposed the government’s move to increase the retirement age of Appeals Court and Supreme Court judges through a constitutional amendment.

In a statement issued over the weekend, the association noted that it had taken serious note of the government’s proposal to extend the retirement age of Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court judges, currently set at 63 and 65 years respectively by a further two years through a constitutional amendment.

It also pointed out that there are currently eight vacancies in the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal, and alleged that the President has failed for a prolonged period to fill these positions, despite being constitutionally required to do so.

The organisation further stated that this failure could be considered a serious constitutional breach, which could even form the basis for an impeachment motion against the President.

It also highlighted that a large number of cases are currently pending before the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal. It emphasised that, in order to expedite justice, not only should court infrastructure be improved, but judicial vacancies must also be filled promptly to speed up hearings.

However, the group warned that extending the service period of judges, while neglecting these essential measures, would not help reduce delays in court proceedings.

It further alleged that the government’s move to extend the retirement age of judges, while ignoring these key issues, raises strong suspicions of having underlying motives.

The organisation also warned that such actions could raise serious questions regarding the independence of the judiciary.