Gotabaya’s Presidential pardon for Duminda Silva illegal, Supreme Court rules

Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that the former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s decision to grant a Presidential pardon to former Parliamentarian Duminda Silva is arbitrary and lacks legal validity.

The Supreme Court’s three-judge bench, composed of Justices Preethi Padman Surasena, Gamini Amarasekara, and Arjuna Obeysekera, has ordered the revocation of the Presidential pardon, citing non-compliance with Constitutional provisions.

Additionally, the Supreme Court has directed prison authorities to take the necessary measures to enforce the judgment regarding Duminda Silva.

On September 8, 2016, Colombo High Court sentenced five individuals to death for their involvement in the murder of four individuals, including former Parliamentarian Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra, on or around October 8, 2011.

Today, the Supreme Court issued its final verdict on three fundamental rights petitions challenging the legality of the 2021 Presidential pardon granted to Duminda Silva.