The Balapitiya High Court on Wednesday sentenced one defendant to death and acquitted three others in connection with the 2008 fatal shooting of a police constable in Baddegama, closing a trial that had spanned 18 years.
The death sentence was imposed on the fourth accused, Merenchi Kankanamge Pasad Manoranjan, also known as “Kalutara Chuti.” The remaining three accused were acquitted and released.
The case relates to the killing of Police Constable Dilip Kumarasinghe (badge number 15615) of the Baddegama Police, who was shot dead while on duty. Court proceedings established that the incident occurred on or around November 30, 2008, when two police officers were conducting a raid in the Kamingala area of Baddegama. The constable sustained fatal gunshot injuries during the operation.
The case had been filed against four suspects by the Baddegama Police.
Sri Lanka has maintained a de facto moratorium on executions since 1976, meaning death sentences have consistently been commuted to life imprisonment in practice.
