Courts Can Impose Death Penalty on Shani and Ravi Too, Says Udaya Gammanpila
02-Aug-2026.
Leader of the Pivithuru Hela Urumaya and former Minister Udaya Gammanpila has claimed that former Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Director Shani Abeysekara and former senior CID official Ravi Seneviratne could also face the death penalty for allegedly failing to prevent the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks despite having sufficient and verified intelligence.
Addressing a media briefing at the party headquarters in Colombo on August 1, Gammanpila said the two officers should resign from their current positions to enable an independent investigation.
He noted that the three-judge Trial-at-Bar had sentenced former Inspector General of Police Pujith Jayasundara and former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando to death after finding that they had failed to act on available intelligence and prevent the Easter Sunday bombings and the resulting loss of life. The court had also imposed fines on both men.
Gammanpila said the two convicted officials had the legal right to file a direct appeal before the Supreme Court. However, he argued that senior CID officials should have been the first to recognise the gravity of intelligence reports indicating that terrorist leader Zahran Hashim was preparing to carry out attacks.
He pointed out that, prior to the Easter Sunday attacks, the CID had been investigating several incidents, including the murder of two policemen in Vavunathivu, the vandalism of Buddha statues in Mawanella, a bomb rehearsal in Palamunai, Batticaloa, and the recovery of explosives in Wanathavilluwa.
According to Gammanpila, suspects arrested in connection with the Wanathavilluwa explosives haul and the Mawanella incidents had informed CID investigators that Zahran was preparing to launch a major terrorist attack.
He alleged that despite possessing adequate and corroborated intelligence, Shani Abeysekara and Ravi Seneviratne had failed to take appropriate preventive action. Therefore, he claimed, they bore even greater responsibility than Pujith Jayasundara and Hemasiri Fernando.
He further called for investigations recommended by the Presidential Commission of Inquiry against the two officials to be reopened. Before such investigations begin, he said, Shani Abeysekara should be removed from his position as Director of the CID and Ravi Seneviratne from his post as Secretary to the Ministry of Public Security to ensure impartial investigations.
