Gotabaya Rajapaksa summoned to court over pardoning murder convict

Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa

The Supreme Court yesterday issued a notice to former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa asking him to state his facts regarding the granting of presidential pardon to former MP Duminda Silva, who was sentenced to death for murder of former MP Bharata Lakshman Premachandra in 2011.

The court issued notice to former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to present his facts in response to a fundamental rights petition filed requesting the court to annul the decision to release him by granting a presidential pardon.

Accordingly, the Supreme Court has issued a notice to state the facts on 16 December.

Several people, including former MP Hirunika Premachandra, the daughter of Bharata Lakshman Premachandra and his wife Sumana Premachandra, have filed these petitions asking for an order to revoke the presidential pardon granted to Duminda Silva.

Silva was sentenced to death on 8 September 2016 but was released on 24 June 2021 under a presidential pardon granted by the then President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.