The Court of Appeal has constituted a three-judge bench to hear and determine a contempt of court complaint against six people, including former ministers Wimal Weerawansa and Udaya Gammanpila, NewsFirst reported on Tuesday.

The matter was taken up before President of the Court of Appeal Rohantha Abeysuriya and Justice Priyantha Fernando, following a referral from the Colombo Fort Magistrate. Justice Abeysuriya announced during the proceedings that a three-member bench would be appointed.

The bench comprises Justice Abeysuriya, Justice Chamath Morais and Justice Adithya Patabendige.

Who the complaint names

Fort Magistrate Pasan Amarasena determined that six individuals had allegedly committed contempt of court, on a complaint presented by the Criminal Investigation Department:

The Magistrate referred the complaint upward for action under the Contempt of Court, Tribunal or Institution Act No. 08 of 2024.

What the statements are said to be

According to NewsFirst, the allegations arise from statements reportedly made during a satyagraha campaign held in July in protest against the arrest of former State Intelligence Service Director Suresh Salley. The CID told the Fort Magistrate’s Court that remarks made at that protest allegedly amounted to contempt.

That description differs from how the referral against Jayaweera was reported five days ago. When NewsFirst first reported the Court of Appeal fixing a hearing date, it said the Magistrate had found remarks Jayaweera made on a television programme to be prima facie contempt. Ada Derana, whose site is unreachable from here and which is therefore not cited, likewise frames the Jayaweera matter as a television interview, and separately reported that the CID’s underlying probe concerns statements made “via electronic media” about Salley. Whether the satyagraha remarks and the broadcast remarks are the same conduct described differently, or two strands of one complaint, is not resolved in any of the reporting.

Jayaweera has a separate writ application before the Court of Appeal challenging the referral itself rather than contesting any finding of contempt — no finding has been made against any of the six. That application was listed for 14 September. Ada Derana reports it has since been fixed for support on 18 September before the same three-judge bench, with President’s Counsel Ali Sabry appearing for Jayaweera and asking that the interview in question be screened in open court. No verified newsroom reachable from here has filed on that hearing, and this article does not treat it as confirmed.

The three men have faced contempt allegations together before. In June the CID pursued contempt charges against Jayaweera alongside Weerawansa and Gammanpila in connection with the Easter Sunday attacks investigation — the same investigation for which Salley remains in custody.

Not reported

NewsFirst does not quote any of the statements at issue, name the complainant beyond the CID, or give the date of the July satyagraha. It does not say when the three-judge bench will first sit, whether the six have been noticed to appear, or what penalties the 2024 Act carries. No response from any of the six is recorded, and no other verified newsroom reachable from here had filed on the bench’s constitution at the time of writing.

Sources: NewsFirst.