Cardinal petitions Court of Appeal seeking justice over Easter Sunday carnage

The Archdiocese of Colombo said yesterday His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith had filed a writ application before the Court of Appeal seeking writs of mandamus and certiorari against the IGP and the Secretary to the Ministry of Public Security to get them implement the recommendations made by the Presidential Commission of Inquiry on Easter Sunday carnage.

The Archdiocese has in a mediate statement said: “On the 27th of June 2022, His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, Archbishop of Colombo, filed a Writ Application in the Court of Appeal seeking relief against the IGP and the Secretary, Ministry of Public Security, for the non-implementation of certain recommendations made by the Presidential Commission of Inquiry appointed to investigate into and make recommendations on the Easter Sunday Bombings of April 2019, headed by Justice Janak de Silva.

‘The aforesaid Presidential Commission of Inquiry made certain findings against key individuals who held positions of power and responsibility. This included several Police Officers such as now Senior-DIG Deshabandu Thennakoon, against whom the Commission recommended conducting disciplinary inquiries for their negligence / failure in preventing the horrific Easter Sunday Bombings of 2019. However, the repeated pleas for Accountability, Justice and the implementation of the Commission’s recommendations, from the victims, the Archdiocese, and the Archbishop, fell on deaf ears.

Among other reliefs, the Writ Application filed by His Eminence seeks directives from the Court of Appeal to the IGP and the Secretary to the Ministry of Public Security, directing them to implement the relevant recommendations of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry.

Further legal steps will be taken towards the implementation of the Commission’s recommendations against the other key persons named in the Final Report of the Commission, in due course.

His Eminence regrets the consistent indifference shown towards ensuring Justice for the victims of the Easter Sunday massacre, by those holding Public Office on Trust for the Sovereign People of Sri Lanka.