The Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday directed that the detention order on former State Intelligence Service (SIS) Director Major General (Retd.) Suresh Sallay remain in force, and ordered the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to report the progress of its investigation on 20 May.
Sallay was produced before Magistrate Isuru Netthikumara over the alleged misdirection of investigations into the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks. Two co-accused remain in remand custody in connection with the same case, while Sallay has been held under a 90-day Prevention of Terrorism Act detention order since his arrest on 25 February.
At an earlier hearing, the magistrate instructed investigating officers that despite the detention order, the suspect must be brought before court in open proceedings — a directive fulfilled by Wednesday’s appearance. The fresh order sets the next procedural milestone at the 20 May reporting date, giving the CID four weeks to update the court on the state of the inquiry.
The criminal case is distinct from Sallay’s parallel Court of Appeal writ petition challenging the legality of his PTA detention. He filed that petition earlier this month, asking the court to compel the CID to either frame formal charges or release him.
Sallay’s arrest placed him on a short list of former senior security officials brought before court on Easter-related accountability charges — a track that intersects with the Presidential Commission of Inquiry’s ongoing examination of the pre-attack intelligence chain.
