The Sunday Times reported that a group of parliamentarians signed a letter demanding a presidential pardon for Duminda Silva, who was sentenced to death over the shooting to death of the President’s senior adviser, former parliamentarian Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra.
Following the report, the leader of the Tamil Progressive Front, Samagi Jana Balawega MP Mano Ganeshan said in a press release that he had also signed the letter. Mr. Ganeshan said that Duminda Silva should be pardoned as he was drunk at the time of the incident and has been in jail for about five years now.
Bharatha & Duminda
Mr. Premachandra, who entered politics with his father’s political affiliation, began his political career as a member of the Kolonnawa Municipal Council in 1979. In 1983, he became the Leader of the Opposition in the Kolonnawa Municipal Council. He later joined the Sri Lanka People’s Party and was the Kolonnawa organizer of the party.
Mr. Premachandra, who contested the first Provincial Council election in Sri Lanka in 1988, was elected to the Provincial Council from the United Socialist Alliance representing the People’s Party. He was also elected as a Member of the Provincial Council in the 1993 Provincial Council Elections.
Subsequently, he contested the 1994 General Elections, was elected to the Parliament with 63,421 votes, and also won the general elections in 2000 and 2001. He was elected to Parliament for the second and third time before his parliamentary career ended in 2004.
He was later appointed by the President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s as his Trade Union Adviser.
Arumadura Lawrence Romelo Duminda Silva has been in power in Mr. Bharatha’s jurisdiction since 2010. He started his political career with the UNP, as a member of the Provincial Council. He was elected to the Provincial Council in 2004 and 2009 with the highest number of preferential votes from Colombo.
He later became a member of the UPFA. He was nominated under UPFA in the 2010 General Elections and contested the General Elections from the Colombo District and was elected to Parliament as the second candidate on the Colombo District Preferential List. He received 146,333 preferential votes.
Local Council Election
At the time of this incident, in 2011, Mr. Premachandra was the President’s Trade Union Adviser, while Mr. Silva was a Member of Parliament and the UPFA organizer for the Kolonnawa electorate. According to media reports at the time, he was also appointed as the Monitoring Member of the Ministry of Defense.
Kotikawatta-Mulleriyawa Local Council is located in the Kolonnawa Electorate. Its chairman was Prasanna Solangarachchi. Mr. Solangarachchi again contested for the Kotikawatta-Mulleriyawa Local Council representing the UPFA in the local government elections held on October 8, 2011.
Mr. Premachandra worked for Mr. Solangarachchi’s victory and participated in his election campaign rallies.
Sumudu Rukshan also contested for the Local Council representing the United People’s Freedom Alliance and had a fierce battle with Mr. Solangarachchi. Mr. Silva supported Sumudu Rukshan. There was a heated battle between the two to get the highest number of preferential votes on the list to become chairman of the Council.
It was a battle that went beyond these two that tested the power of Mr. Silva and Mr. Premachandra.
Activities that led to the shooting
As revealed in Court, Kolonnawa UPFA organizer Mr. Silva left home at 6.30 am to go to the polls in Tamil Nadu Watta on October 8, 2011, when the local government elections were held. When Duminda Silva arrived there, his ministerial security superintendent Priyantha Dissanayake had gone there with a group of other officers.
Mr. Silva, who was sitting on a chair near the road at the time, was asking voters who they were going to vote for. He has told those who come to vote for the UNP not to do so. Mr. Silva and his group had come to the house of a man named Ramesh for lunch at around 11.30 am and had been drinking there.
Chaminda Ravi Jayanath had also arrived in Tamilnadu Watta at around 12 noon and some of them had left at 2.45 pm as a group. They had left to go to the house of a candidate named Sumudu Rukshan.
On his way to Mr. Rukshan’s house, Mr. Silva had instructed to stop at Kanda Viharaya. Mr. Silva’s defender was in front and the Security Forces (MSD) vehicle was behind it and the pajero carrying his personal bodyguards at the tail.
Anura Thushara de Mel handed over a T-56 firearm to Chaminda Ravi Jayanath on the orders of Mr. Silva after stopping near the Kanda Vihara. It is an illegal firearm. After the exchange of firearms, the group left and stopped near Rajasinghe College on their way to Ambatale. There, Mr. Silva had assaulted a young man who was supporting Mr. Solangarachchi.
The group left again and stopped next to Rahula College. Mr. Solangarachchi’s wife had also come to the polling station and Mr. Silva had scolded her. He had asked who she had voted for and she had said that she had voted for her husband Mr. Solangarachchi. When Mr. Silva approached her, a woman named ‘Pinky Akka’ had taken her to a shop called ‘Anura Kade.’
Mr. Silva’s accomplices were seen displaying T-56 assault rifles near the polling station. The group had stayed there for a while and then proceeded towards Himbutana Junction.
Duminda blocks the road and attacks Bharatha
As Mr. Silva and his group were advancing, Mr. Premachandra’s vehicle had come from the opposite direction near Himbutana Junction. At the same time, his vehicle stopped blocking his vehicle. An argument broke out between Mr. Silva and his opponent. Beyond the exchange of words, Mr. Silva has hit Mr. Premachandra.
Following the assault, Rajapurage Gamini, Mr. Premachandra’s bodyguard, fired at Mr. Silva with his firearm to save his employer.
At the same time, Priyantha Janaka Bandara Galaboda alias Galaboda Priyantha, a personal bodyguard of Mr. Silva, had shot Mr. Gamini severely injuring him. Mr. Silva’s group then shot Mr. Premachandra and several others at the scene with an illegal T-56 assault rifle.
Mr. Premachandra, Damitha Dharshana Jayatilake, Mohamed Ashim and Manivel Kumaraswamy were killed in the shooting. The illegal firearm used in the shooting was later found by the CID on a revelation by Chaminda. The department later told the court that it was a firearm used by the LTTE.
Mr. Silva was also shot in the incident and was taken to Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore for treatment.
This was an event that caused a great deal of controversy in the political arena. Therefore, the investigation was handed over to the CID. The then director of the department ordered its Special Investigation Unit to investigate the incident. However, the then Director appointed ASP Shani Abeysekara to overlook the Special Investigations Unit as the Assistant Superintendent of Police was not present on the relevant day.
The Special Investigation Unit of the CID conducted the investigation under the supervision of Mr. Abeysekera and the OIC in charge of the investigation was Inspector Meryl Ranjan Lamahewa. Several suspects were arrested during the investigation. However, Mr. Silva who played the lead role in the case was not arrested. The reason was that he was receiving treatment in Singapore outside Sri Lanka at that time.
The aggrieved party constantly blamed the CID for not taking action to arrest Mr. Silva and not obtaining a warrant against him during the investigation.
Hirunika Premachandra, daughter of Mr. Premachandra, alleged that the CID did not arrest Mr.Silva because they were acting in a partisan manner. MP Ranjan Ramanayake also made similar statements against the CID in those days. Later, Mr. Ramanayake had stated that he had made such a statement because Inspector Meryl Ranjan Lamahewa had stated that Mr. Abeysekera was conducting the investigation in a partisan manner to Mr. Silva.
Inspector Merrill met with the deceased family members and stated that Mr. Abeysekera was investigating Mr. Silva in a biased manner.
Meanwhile, there was a need to obtain a statement from Mr. Silva and at that time his lawyer informed that he was in a position where he could not obtain a statement. Inspector Meryl Ranjan Lamahewa went to Singapore on behalf of the CID to obtain a statement from Duminda Silva.
His statement stated that Mr. Silva had no recollection of the incident. At the same time, Mr. Premachandra’s party again accused the CID of conducting biased investigations.
Former IGP NK Illangakoon summoned Mr. Abeysekera for questioning over his failure to arrest Mr. Silva and the failure to obtain a warrant against him. At the time, Mr. Abeysekera had said that a warrant was not required for the arrest as he had committed a crime under the Criminal Procedure Code. Mr. Abeysekera has informed the IGP that Mr. Silva could be arrested without a warrant.
When questioned by the aggrieved parties in court as to why he was not arrested in Singapore, Mr. Abeysekera had said that he could not be arrested as he was unconscious. He also said that according to the Constitution, a suspect should be arrested after being charged and that a person who is not properly conscious cannot be charged and therefore he cannot be arrested until he regains consciousness.
However, Mr. Silva, who had recovered, was arrested by the CID after his return to Sri Lanka. He remained in Nawaloka Hospital during his remand. He was released on bail while in Nawaloka Hospital, and returned home the next day.
During the hearing of this case in the Magistrate’s Court, Inspector Meryl Ranjan Lamahewa, who was supposed to represent the CID before the court, was severely reprimanded by the court for not appearing in the case. He was later removed from the relevant investigation on the ground that he had acted in a manner prejudicial to the case
Suspects charged
After the CID investigation, High Court Judge Shiran Gunaratne referred the investigation file to the Attorney General. The Attorney General who supervised the file, filed indictments against 13 accused including Duminda Silva in the High Court. The defendants were charged with 17 counts, including being a member of an illegal mob and murder.
The Supreme Court appointed a three-judge High Court to hear the case, considering a request by the Attorney General to appoint a three-judge panel as this is a special court case. Its presiding judge was High Court Judge Shiran Gunaratne. The other two judges were Padmini M. Ranawaka and M.C.B.S. Morais.
During the High Court hearing, 118 witnesses were called to testify in the case. After a lengthy trial, the High Court decision was announced.
Judge Gunaratne, the presiding judge of the bench, passed one judgment and Padmini M. Ranawaka announced another verdict. Mr. Gunaratne ordered that all suspects including Duminda Silva in this case be acquitted and released. Ms. Ranawaka ordered that eight of the 13 suspects be acquitted of all charges and that Mr. Silva and five others were sentenced to death, including life imprisonment.
The other judge of the tribunal, M.B.S. Morais, agreed with Ms. Ranawaka. Accordingly, Mr. Silva and others were sentenced according to the opinion of the majority of the three judges.
Moving Supreme Court against the High Court decision
Mr. Silva and several other defendants appealed to the Supreme Court against the sentencing. The appeal was heard before a five-judge panel. The five-judge bench comprised Chief Justice Priyasath Depp, Buwaneka Aluvihare, Priyantha Jayawardena, H.N.J. Perera and Vijith Kumara Malalgoda.
Defendants continued to argue that the judgment of the High Court Judge and Judge Moraes in this case was erroneous. Mr. Silva and other defendants also stated that Mr. Abeysekara had not conducted the investigation properly. After a lengthy deliberation, the bench ruled in favor of High Court Judges Ms. Ranawaka and Mr. Morais.
The Court ruled that according to the Sections 81A, 82C (1) of the Local Government Elections Act No. 53 of 1946, it is not permissible to intimidate voters on a local government election day and it is illegal for a group to go to the polls with firearms and such group is an illicit gathering.
Duminda’s sentence approved by five judges
The Supreme Court ruled that Article 146 of the Penal Code makes it clear that all members of an illegal gathering are responsible for an offense committed by any member of that illegal population.
Mr. Silva has been held responsible for the crime by the Supreme Court and it is mentioned in the court decision that,
“The 11th accused (Mr. Silva) led the illegal assembly until the moment he (Mr. Silva) was shot in the head. This suggests that there may be only a millisecond difference in time between the first shot and the counterattack.
“If there was a significant difference between the time and space between the parties and the crime, or if the shooting was carried out by a fundamentally different person, it could be argued that the 11th accused (Mr. Silva) had left the illegal assembly and separated from those acts.
“But as I have discussed earlier, the death toll from firearms is a predictable consequence of their criminal agenda. It is true that the 11th accused (Mr. Silva) was a member of the mob at the beginning of the incident which lasted only 60 seconds or so.
“At the same time, there is no evidence that the 11th accused (Mr. Silva) acted with the intention of separating from the meeting at any time before that. The 11th accused (Mr. Silva) was injured almost as soon as the deceased was fatally wounded.
“He (Mr. Silva) has always been involved in and supporting illegal assembly activities. Therefore, criminal charges can be filed on the basis of unlawful assembly. Therefore, it aligns with the law to convict and punish him.”
Wimal Weerawansa accused Judge Ranawaka claiming she had acted impartially in Mr. Silva’s case. But she was the only one judge to hear the case. Judge Morais has also ordered Mr. Silva to be convicted in the High Court. In addition, when Mr. Silva and his party went to the Supreme Court against the High Court decision, all five judges upheld the verdict and sentence against him.
That is, eight judges of the High Court and the Supreme Court have heard Silva’s case, and all but one of the High Court judges have convicted and sentenced him. When even Judge Ranawaka, who is accused of being biased, is excluded, six judges convicted Mr. Silva and ordered his sentencing.
A group from the ruling party and the opposition are demanding the release of Mr. Silva on a presidential pardon, dismissing a verdict passed by seven of the eight judges. It was revealed that there is evidence to file indictments against him in the Magistrate’s Court. Mr. Silva was convicted and sentenced in the High Court.
The sentence was upheld again in the Supreme Court. The letter-writing MPs are demanding a presidential pardon for Duminda Silva disregarding what has been uncovered over the years in three courts.
What else do we have to talk about implementing the law if the elected members of parliament, who are elected by the people, and the responsible parliamentarians who are responsible for implementing and securing the law, call on the President to acquit the murderer convicted in several courts?
