The Chilaw High Court on Friday sentenced Jagath Samantha — a Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna member of the Arachchikattuwa Pradeshiya Sabha and brother of the late former State Minister Sanath Nishantha — to five and a half years in prison over a 2008 assault on a public official.
The judgment was delivered by High Court Judge Nayomi Wickramasekara. Samantha was found guilty on three charges arising from an incident at the Karukkuliya Jayathilinaramaya Temple on November 24, 2008, including obstructing the official duties of the then Arachchikattuwa Divisional Secretary Danasena Soorasinghe, unlawful assembly and attempted assault.
The court also ordered Samantha to pay Rs. 1 million in compensation to the Divisional Secretary. If he fails to pay, an additional 24-month prison term will apply.
Charges had originally been filed against both Sanath Nishantha and his brother, but Nishantha died in a road accident on the Katunayake Expressway on January 25, 2024, and only Samantha was before the court on Friday. NewsFirst noted that Samantha was formerly the chairman of the Arachchikattuwa Pradeshiya Sabha.
The verdict closes one of several long-running cases tied to the politician’s circle. The Rajapaksa-era SLPP figure was a recurring presence in court files over alleged election-period assaults on officials, and the temple incident sat alongside other accountability matters that were still working through the courts at the time of his death.
