Sri Lanka's Attorney General announced plans to appeal a Colombo High Court ruling that prevented terrorism act charges from being filed against underworld figure Nadun Chinthaka Wickramaratne and four others accused of conspiring to escape CID custody.
The Attorney General's office formally notified the Colombo High Court on Monday of its intention to appeal a recent judgment that barred the use of Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) charges against five accused individuals, including underworld figure Nadun Chinthaka Wickramaratne, commonly known as 'Harak Kata'. The charges relate to an alleged conspiracy to escape while in Criminal Investigation Department custody.
State counsel representing the Attorney General made the announcement during proceedings before High Court Judge Buddhika C. Ragala. The court simultaneously took up bail applications filed by the accused, with the judge indicating that a determination on bail requests would be delivered on August 20, 2026.
Following the court's decision to strike down the PTA charges, the High Court ordered that 'Harak Kata', who is currently detained at Tangalle Old Prison under remand custody, be transferred to another suitable prison facility. The specific grounds upon which the initial court ruled against maintaining PTA charges were not detailed in available reports.
