Sri Lanka's Supreme Court has ruled that the fundamental rights of former senior Criminal Investigation Department officers Ravi Seneviratne and Shani Abeysekara were violated through a police investigation initiated following a complaint concerning their alleged handling of information connected to the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks.
The ruling was delivered on September 15 in fundamental-rights proceedings brought by Seneviratne and Abeysekara.
The Court found that former Inspector General of Police Deshabandu Tennakoon, retired Deputy Inspector General Palitha Siriwardena and then-CID officer Induka Silva were responsible in connection with the violation of the petitioners' fundamental rights.
According to reports of the judgment, the Court found that the complaint which initiated the investigation had been pursued with a political motive during the period leading to the 2024 Presidential Election.
The Court also directed that no further action be taken on the complaint that had formed the basis of the investigation.
Reports of the judgment state that Siriwardena was ordered to pay Rs. 50,000 each to Seneviratne and Abeysekara as compensation, while Induka Silva was ordered to pay Rs. 10,000 each.
The significance of the decision is that these are findings of the Supreme Court following fundamental-rights proceedings. They should therefore be clearly distinguished from political accusations or allegations made by parties outside judicial proceedings.
The judgment concerns the legality and constitutional consequences of the investigation initiated against Seneviratne and Abeysekara. It should not be presented as determining every disputed issue relating to the broader Easter Sunday attacks.