A three-judge Colombo Permanent High Court Trial-at-Bar will deliver its verdict on July 31 in the criminal-negligence case against former Inspector General of Police Pujith Jayasundara over his failure to act on intelligence warnings ahead of the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks, Ada Derana reported on Friday.

The bench — Justices Priyantha Liyanage, Viraj Weerasuriya and Thilakarathna Bandara — fixed the date after noting that oral and written submissions from all parties had been concluded. Jayasundara is charged with criminal negligence of duty and failure to perform official duties, on the basis that no preventive action was taken despite prior intelligence that an attack was expected on Easter Sunday.

The case was set down for arguments on June 12 at a hearing in late May, and the bench moved straight to a verdict date once final submissions closed.

A separate but parallel case against former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando was taken up before the same Trial-at-Bar on Friday. Additional Solicitor General Sudarshana de Silva made submissions for the prosecution, and defence counsel Chaminda Athukorala presented arguments for Fernando. The court ordered continuation of the defence submissions on June 15.

Fernando had earlier testified that then-President Maithripala Sirisena had prior knowledge of the threat and that intelligence chief Nilantha Jayawardena concealed it. The coordinated suicide bombings on April 21, 2019 killed more than 260 people across churches and hotels in Colombo, Negombo and Batticaloa.

A July 31 verdict, if delivered as scheduled, would be the first ruling against a senior official held criminally responsible for the security-services failures around the bombings. The wider conspiracy probe remains active, with the Attorney General formally naming former intelligence chief Suresh Salley as the “mastermind and contractor” and Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala confirming “credible evidence” against Salley before Parliament.

Update — June 15: Hemasiri defence concludes, same July 31 date set

Defence counsel Chaminda Atukorale concluded oral submissions for Hemasiri Fernando on Monday before the Colombo Permanent High Court Trial-at-Bar. After considering the submissions, the same three-judge bench announced that the verdict in the case against the former Defence Secretary will be delivered on July 31, NewsFirst and Newswire reported — placing both Easter Sunday criminal-negligence rulings on the same date. The bench also confirmed that the Pujith Jayasundara verdict, on which arguments concluded last Friday, will be delivered that day.

Update — July 31: verdict due today

The Colombo Permanent High Court Trial-at-Bar is scheduled to deliver its verdict today against former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando and former Inspector General of Police Pujith Jayasundara, the Daily Mirror and Hiru News reported on Friday morning.

Both men face charges including criminal dereliction of duty, over allegations that they failed to act on prior intelligence warnings about the impending Easter Sunday attacks and did not take adequate measures to prevent them. The case was instituted by the Attorney General and heard before a three-judge bench.

The trial concluded after the prosecution and defence completed their submissions, clearing the way for judgment.

Update — July 31 evening: both Jayasundara and Fernando sentenced to death

The Trial-at-Bar sentenced Pujith Jayasundara to death on Friday evening, convicting him by a 2-1 majority over his failure to act on intelligence warnings before the attacks. Presiding judge Priyantha Liyanage and Judge Thilakarathna Bandara found him guilty; Judge Viraj Weerasuriya dissented and acquitted.

The verdict against Hemasiri Fernando was not delivered alongside it, but followed later the same day. The same bench sentenced the former Defence Secretary to death on the same 2-1 split, convicting him on 854 of the 855 charges filed against him.

Full reports: Former IGP Pujith Jayasundara sentenced to death over Easter Sunday attacks and Former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando sentenced to death over Easter attacks.

Sources