Duminda's appeal taken up for argument | Daily News
BHARATHA LAKSHMAN MURDER CASE

Duminda's appeal taken up for argument

The appeal petitions filed by five accused including former MP Duminda Silva challenging the judgment of the Colombo High Court was taken up before the Supreme Court for further argument yesterday.

The appeal came up before the five-judge Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Priyasath Dep. Further argument was fixed for May 10.

President’s Counsel Anuja Premaratne appearing on behalf of the appellant-accused Anura Thushara de Mel stated that the High Court Trial-at-Bar conviction cannot stand on several legal grounds. He stated that the High Court Trial-at-Bar bench had not given reasons for the conviction even without considering accused’s dock statement.

Five accused including former Defence Ministry Monitoring MP Duminda Silva were sentenced to death by the Colombo High Court for committing the murder of four persons including former MP Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra.

They filed appeal petitions in the Supreme Court challenging the judgment of Colombo High Court.

Duminda Silva, the eleventh accused in the murder case had filed an acceleration petition in the Supreme Court requesting that the appeal be accelerated on medical grounds.

Through his appeal, Duminda Silva stated that he was seeking the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court to review and set aside their conviction and the death sentence imposed by the High Court on September 8, 2015.

Five accused including former MP Duminda Silva were on September 8, 2015 sentenced to death by the Colombo High Court for committing the murder of four persons including former MP Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra on October 8, 2011. However, the verdict was divided two to one with judges Pathmini N.Ranawaka and M.C.B.S. Morais finding the five accused guilty for ten charges including committing and conspiring to commit murder of four people while Justice Shiran Gunaratne, the President of Colombo High Court Trial-at-Bar found the thirteen accused not guilty of all seventeen charges. The five-judge Supreme Court bench comprised Chief Justice Priyasath Dep, Justice Buwaneka Aluvihare, Justice Prasanna Jayawardena, Justice Nalin Perera and Justice Vijith Malalgoda.


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