Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has filed an appeal in the Supreme Court challenging the Court of Appeal’s refusal to entertain his application to prevent his arrest over the ongoing investigations into the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks, the Daily Mirror and NewsFirst reported on Friday evening.
Both outlets say the appeal asks the Supreme Court to set aside the earlier ruling and to issue an order restraining the authorities from arresting him in connection with the investigation.
What the Court of Appeal did
The Court of Appeal dismissed the writ application on 1 October at the initial stage — that is, without issuing formal notice to the respondents and without taking the matter up for a full hearing. Rajapaksa’s position, as summarised by NewsFirst, is that disposing of the application in that way was contrary to law.
NewsFirst reports that the original writ sought to stop the Criminal Investigation Department from arresting and detaining him under the Prevention of Terrorism Act. The Daily Mirror’s account of the appeal does not mention the PTA.
Who is named
The two filings differ on the respondents. The Daily Mirror lists four: Inspector General of Police Priyantha Weerasooriya, CID Director Shani Abeysekera, the Officer-in-Charge of the CID’s Special Investigations Unit, and the Attorney General. NewsFirst names only the IGP and the CID Director. NewsFirst adds that the appeal was filed through Attorney-at-Law Sanath Wijewardena.
Not reported
Neither filing says when the Supreme Court will take up the appeal, whether an interim order has been sought or granted in the meantime, or which bench dismissed the original application. Neither carries any response from the Attorney General’s Department, the CID or the police, and neither indicates whether the CID has moved to arrest Rajapaksa since the 1 October dismissal. The discrepancy in the respondent lists is unexplained.
Sources: Daily Mirror, NewsFirst.
