Former Sri Lanka police chief Pujith Jayasundera plans to appeal his death sentence related to the 2019 Easter bombings. The legal case, which also involves former defence bureaucrat Hemasiri Fernando, centers on the failure to act on prior intelligence reports. The outcome remains complex due to the country’s long-standing moratorium on capital punishment.
Pujith Jayasundera, the former Inspector General of Police in Sri Lanka, has announced plans to challenge the death sentence handed down to him on Friday. The conviction relates to criminal dereliction of duty regarding the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, which caused significant loss of life. Hemasiri Fernando, the former top bureaucrat at the Ministry of Defence, was also sentenced to death in the same ruling.
The core of the conviction rests on the failure of these officials to take appropriate action despite receiving specific intelligence warnings about potential attacks from Indian agencies. The case has undergone a lengthy legal journey. Both men were initially indicted in November 2021 and subsequently acquitted of all 855 charges in February 2022. However, the Attorney General challenged this acquittal, leading to a Supreme Court order in November 2024 that revived the proceedings. The prosecution successfully argued that the initial trial had not properly considered defense witnesses.
Defense counsel Rohan Dehiwela confirmed that legal teams are currently preparing the necessary documentation to file an appeal with the Supreme Court, which is expected to be submitted next week. While the sentence itself is severe, its practical application is subject to a unique legal environment in Sri Lanka. The country has maintained a moratorium on the death penalty since 1976, meaning that while death sentences are occasionally passed, they are not currently being carried out by the state.
Both Jayasundera and Fernando held their respective positions between 2016 and 2019. Following the 2019 attacks, they were arrested and spent over four months in remand before eventually securing bail in 2023. As the appeal process moves forward, the primary focus will be on the interpretation of their official responsibilities during the intelligence-gathering period and the procedural validity of the recent conviction. The next key update will be the formal filing of the appeal and the subsequent date set by the Supreme Court for a hearing.