News
SC orders Sirisena, Pujith and Nilantha to pay compensation to victims of Easter attacks before August 30
By A.J.A. Abeywardena
The Supreme Court yesterday ordered former President Maithripala Sirisena to settle the full payment of compensation to the victims of the 2019 Easter terror attacks before 30 August 2024.
Former IGP Pujith Jayasundara and former Chief of State Intelligence Service Nilantha Jayawardena have also been ordered to pay the outstanding compensation to the victims of the Easter attacks before 30 August 2024.
The court ordered that if they failed to complete the payments before the said date, they would face contempt of court charges.
Earlier Sirisena’s lawyers informed the court that out of the Rs 100 million ordered to be paid as compensation for the victims of the Easter attack, Rs. 58 million had been paid and requested six years for the remaining amount to be paid.
On 11 July, 2023, the former President paid Rs. 15 million as part of the compensation he was ordered to pay to the victims and filed a motion requesting that he be allowed to pay the remaining sum in 10 instalments of Rs. 8.5 million from 30 June 2024 to 20 June 2033.
In a motion filed through his lawyers, the former President said that he received a pension of Rs. 97,500 as the former President, alongside a sum of Rs. 54,285 for his services as a Member of Parliament, thus, he requested that he be granted time to pay the remainder of the ordered sum of Rs. 100 million.
On 12 January 2023, the Supreme Court found that former President Sirisena, former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando, former IGP Pujith Jayasundara, former National Intelligence Chief Sisira Mendis and former Chief of State Intelligence Service Nilantha Jayawardena had violated the fundamental rights of the people by failing to take action to prevent the Easter Sunday bombings despite receiving sufficient intelligence information. In its verdict, the court bench ordered Sirisena to pay Rs. 100 million in compensation to the petitioners, while Pujith Jayasundara and Nilantha Jayawardena were each ordered to pay Rs. 75 million; Hemasiri Fernando was ordered to pay Rs. 50 million and Sisira Mendis was ordered to pay Rs. 10 million from their personal funds. That order was delivered by a seven-member Supreme Court Judge bench with regard to 12 petitions filed by various parties stating that their fundamental rights had been violated by negligence and failure to prevent the coordinated terrorist attacks on 21 April, 2019.
News
Establishment of an Institutional Framework to Inagurate Upper Hydro Catchment Areas Management Authority
Policy approval of the Cabinet of Ministers was granted at their meeting held on 08.06.2026 to establish the Upper Hydro Catchment Areas Management Authority for identification and
execution of a formal and long – lasting remedy to secure the central hills including the upper hydro catchment areas enabling them to sustain amidst extreme weather conditions
due to natural calamities and human activities as well as to be used for the sustainable development of the country.
Accordingly, a concept paper has been prepared including
institutional structure, activities, powers, active subject area as well as administrative and coordination mechanism for the proposed authority by an expert technical committee appointed by the Secretary to the President.
Based on the said concept paper, the Cabinet of Ministers granted approval to the resolution furnished by the President to instruct the Legal Draftsman to prepare a draft bill including legal provisions required for the establishment of Upper Hydro Catchment Areas Management Authority.
News
Introduction of Flora and Fauna (Regulation of actions of the Indigenous Community within the nominated areas) Regulations
With the objective of securing the traditional livelihood and the eco system of the indigenous community, it has been recognized the necessity of introducing a formal regulation methodology to secure their engagement in livelihood activities by being more sensitive to the existing laws.
Thereby, the Fauna and Flora (regularizing) regulations under the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance (Authority 469) have been prepared so that nominated activities within the prescribed area to a member of the indigenous community
who has been registered for securing the rights acquired from law or custom or usage or traditional stance to execute an act within a certain state land that is fundamental to the survival of the indigenous community permission can be granted
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers granted approval to the resolution furnished by the Minister of Environment to publish the said regulations in the government gazette notification and thereby submit to the Parliament for its concurrence.
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