Although the former President as the Minister of Defence should have been informed about that information and the necessary immediate action should have been taken. Therefore, the President’s Counsel stated that they were responsible for the violation of fundamental rights in this case.
He said that if the former President had said that he had not been aware of the security situation in the country for three years, it was a question of the then government. The President’s Counsel stated this while hearing 12 petitions seeking a declaration that former IGP Pujith Jayasundara, former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando, former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and former President Maithripala Sirisena and other responsible authorities violated their fundamental rights due to the failure to act to prevent the terrorist attack that took place on Easter Sunday on April 21, 2019 despite intelligence. The petition was taken up for the second day yesterday (15) before a seven-judge Bench comprising Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya, Justices Buwaneka Aluvihare, L. T. B. Dehideniya, Murdu Fernando, S. Thurairajah, A.H. M.D. Nawaz and Shiran Gunaratne.
When the petitions were taken up before the Court yesterday (14), President’s Counsel Saliya Peiris made lengthy submissions on behalf of the petitioners, Fathers Sarath Iddamalgoda, Ashok Silva and Sharad Jayawardena.