A aggregate of 855 charges of felonious negligence were levelled against Pujith Jayasundera Sri Lanka’s former police chief Pujith Jayasundera was on Monday charged with felonious negligence for failing to act despite entering previous intelligence warnings in the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attack that killed nearly 270 people, including 11 Indians.
A aggregate of 855 charges of felonious negligence were levelled against Mr Jayasundera as the Sri Lankan High Court began trial proceedings in the case, which has over substantiations, attorneys said.
Mr Jayasundera was present in the courtroom when the charges were read out against him His attorneys claimed that the former Inspector General wasn’t shamefaced of ignoring previous intelligence Former defence clerk Hemasiri Fernando, who was a crucial member in the defence ministry when the attack took place in April 2019, also faces analogous charges.
Jayasundera and Fernando were suspended from service and arrested in connection with the case Still, they were latterly released on bail Both were indicted by the also President Maithripala Sirisena for negligence over alleged inactivity to help attacks despite the vacuity of previous intelligence on the attacks Police have filed over charges against suspects for conspiring, abetting and abetting the attacks.
Nine self-murder bombers belonging to original Islamist revolutionist group National Thawheed Jamaat (NTJ) linked to ISIS carried out a series of ruinous blasts that tore through three churches and as numerous luxury hospices on April 21, 2019, killing nearly 270 people, and injuring over 500.
The attack stirred a political storm as the also government headed by President Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was criticized for its incapability to help the attacks despite previous intelligence being made available During his term, Mr Sirisena formed a presidential panel to probe the attacks.
The special presidential inquiry plant Mr Sirisena himself along with a host of other top defence officers, including Fernando and Jayasundera, shamefaced of ignoring previous intelligence The panel report had recommended felonious action against them The Catholic Church in Sri Lanka had constantly expressed dissatisfaction over the Easter Sunday terror attack examinations accepted by the government It has demanded action against those named in the report for their negligence to stop the attacks despite having previous intelligence.
On a day when Mr Jayasundera and Mr Fernando had a alluvion of charges levelled against them, leading Unqualified clerk Rev Father Cyril Gamini visited the Criminal Investigation Department to record his statement He visited the CID for the third day as he was summoned to appear before them Before this month, Rev Gamini had filed a abecedarian rights operation stewing a possible arrest for questioning the involvement of the Sri Lankan state intelligence operatives in the Easter attack.
On Sunday, members of the Unqualified community held demurrers in remembrance of the people who had lost their lives in the attack They appealed to the Sri Lankan government to insure speedy justice and allow trials to be conducted with overdue political hindrance.