The defence team in the journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda disappearance case has challenged a court decision allowing a key witness to retake his testimony, creating uncertainty about how proceedings will continue.
A significant legal dispute has emerged in the ongoing case surrounding the disappearance of journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda, as defence lawyers have escalated their challenge to a trial court's decision permitting witness retestimony. At a hearing before the Permanent High Court Trial-at-Bar in Colombo, the defence informed the three-judge bench that they had filed a petition at the Supreme Court opposing the lower court's approval for the fourth witness to retake his evidence.
The witness in question, identified as Sumathipala Suresh Kumar, also known as "Murali", had previously requested permission to testify again after claiming his initial evidence was given under pressure from the accused. The Trial-at-Bar had granted this request at an earlier hearing after considering the circumstances presented. However, the defence's Supreme Court challenge now threatens to halt this arrangement.
Defence counsel argued that permitting further testimony from the witness at this stage would not be feasible given the pending Supreme Court application. The Trial-at-Bar indicated it would announce its decision on September 4 regarding whether the Supreme Court petition would be accepted and how the remaining witness testimony should proceed. The decision will clarify the path forward for this high-profile case involving the disappearance of the journalist.
