SC suspends special presidential pardon granted to Duminda Silva

The Supreme Court has issued an interim order suspending the special presidential pardon granted to former MP Duminda Silva while he was serving a death sentence.

Accordingly, the country’s top court has ordered the arrest of the former parliamentarian.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has been directed to enforce these orders. Meanwhile, the Attorney General has been instructed to provide necessary advice and assistance to the CID in this regard.

The Supreme Court also issued a travel ban on the former parliamentarian, according to Ada Derana correspondent.

On June 24 in 2021, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa granted presidential pardon to several prison inmates including Duminda Silva, in view of the Poson full moon Poya day.

Former parliamentarian Duminda Silva was jailed in September 2016 after the Colombo High Court found him and several others guilty in the murder of former MP Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra.

Subsequently, fundamental rights petitions were filed by Sumana Premachandra, the wife of Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra, a former Commissioner of Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) President’s Counsel Gasali Hussain and several others, challenging the special presidential pardon granted to Duminda Silva.

Allowing the hearing of three FR petitions, the three-judge bench of the Supreme Court comprising Justices Preethi Padman Surasena, Yasantha Kodagoda and Achala Vengappuli moved to revoke the presidential pardon.

The petitions will be taken up for hearing on the 01st of September.