Superintendent of Police Lakshman Cooray has been reinstated to the Sri Lanka Police after being detained for 14 years in connection with the assassination of Cabinet Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle, Sri Lanka Brief reported.
Fernandopulle, who served as Highways and Road Development Minister under then-President Mahinda Rajapaksa, was killed in a suicide bomb attack on April 6, 2008, during a public event in Weliweriya. The assassination was one of the most high-profile political killings during the final phase of the civil war.
The Supreme Court has ruled that the Terrorism Investigation Division violated Cooray’s fundamental rights through torture and unlawful detention during his incarceration, which began in August 2009. Cooray was acquitted by the High Court in 2022 along with co-accused, but remained in administrative limbo until an Appeals Tribunal ordered his reinstatement on April 9 with restoration of rank, promotions, and service benefits.
His case represents one of the starkest examples of extended pre-trial detention in the country’s recent history, with nearly 14 years spent in custody before acquittal.
The case adds to a series of active accountability threads in Sri Lanka’s justice system, including the Pillayan murder confession, the Mahinda Rajapaksa CIABOC notice, and the SriLankan Airlines Airbus bribery warrants.
Human rights organisations have long criticised Sri Lanka’s use of extended pre-trial detention, particularly under the Prevention of Terrorism Act. Cooray’s case is likely to feature in ongoing debates around PTA reform and judicial accountability.
