Easter Sunday attacks investigation - writ to prevent arrest
Current status of the Easter Sunday attacks investigation - writ to prevent arrest
Investigations into the 21 Apr 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, which killed over 260 people, intensified in 2026, including the arrest of former State Intelligence Service chief Suresh Sallay. Rajapaksa, who was Defence Secretary at the time of the attacks, filed a Court of Appeal writ petition through lawyer Sanath Wijewardene seeking an order preventing his arrest and detention under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) in connection with the investigation, naming the IGP, the CID Director and a CID officer as respondents. The Court of Appeal is scheduled to rule on 22 Sep 2026 on whether the petition may proceed and on an interim order against arrest pending a final judgment. Allegations connecting Rajapaksa to the attacks are contested and unproven; filing this protective litigation does not itself establish that an arrest is lawful, imminent, or evidentially supported.
What’s happened
Pending as of the verification date; the Court of Appeal's 22 Sep 2026 ruling is the next development to check.
- Court
- Court of Appeal
- Next hearing / due
- Next hearing not confirmed
Easter Sunday attacks investigation - writ to prevent arrest timeline
- 22 September 2026
Hearing
Reporting had scheduled the matter for 2026-09-22, but the current dataset does not establish the outcome of that date.
Court: Court of Appeal
Sources (2)