The Supreme Court has ordered that the fundamental rights petition filed by former State Minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan, alias “Pillayan”, challenging his arrest and detention be called for hearing.
The petition has been fixed for hearing on January 19, 2027, Ada Derana reported.
The nearly six-month gap before the next step leaves the petition pending while the separate criminal proceedings against Chandrakanthan continue in the lower courts.
Context
Chandrakanthan, a former chief minister of the Eastern Province and later a state minister, was arrested in 2025 and has been held in remand custody through a series of extensions since. He filed the fundamental rights application asking the Supreme Court to rule that his arrest and continued detention were unlawful.
The Supreme Court concluded hearing submissions on the petition on June 2, after which the court indicated its determination would be delivered later. Thursday’s order sets a fresh date for the matter to be taken up.
In parallel, Chandrakanthan faces criminal proceedings in the East. He was named in five murder cases before the Batticaloa Magistrate’s Court, was further remanded over 2008 killings in Batticaloa in July, and was most recently remanded until August 4. He has separately confessed in connection with the murder of the Eastern University vice chancellor.
His detention has also featured in political controversy, after it emerged that Rajapaksa family members had visited him in prison.
None of the allegations against Chandrakanthan has been proven in the pending cases.
