Court of Appeal delivers split verdict on Hirunika’s appeal against prison sentence

Wednesday, 11 November 2026 00:03 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Hirunika Premachandra

The Court of Appeal today delivered a divided judgment on an appeal filed by former Parliamentarian Hirunika Premachandra challenging her conviction and three-year prison sentence over the 2015 abduction of a youth in Dematagoda.

Following the split decision by the two-judge bench, Justice P. Kumararatnam announced that the matter would be referred to the President of the Court of Appeal for consideration and taken up again tomorrow.

Premachandra had appealed against the conviction and sentence imposed by the Colombo High Court after finding her guilty on 18 charges, including conspiring to abduct, aiding the abduction, and threatening, assaulting and intimidating victim Amila Priyankara following the incident.

The case relates to the abduction of Priyankara in Dematagoda in 2015.

On 22 July 2024, the Colombo High Court granted Premachandra bail pending the determination of her appeal against the conviction and sentence.