A three-judge bench of the Colombo Permanent High Court has sentenced former Inspector General of Police Pujith Jayasundara to death after finding him guilty of criminal negligence and dereliction of duty for failing to act on intelligence warnings ahead of the 2019 Easter Sunday terrorist bombings.
The Colombo Permanent High Court Trial-at-Bar delivered a death sentence to former Inspector General of Police Pujith Jayasundara on July 31, 2026, after finding him guilty on 854 of the 855 charges brought against him. According to reporting, the three-judge bench issued a majority decision, with two judges voting to convict and one judge dissenting. Judge Viraj Weerasuriya expressed the view that the prosecution had not proven the case beyond a reasonable doubt, while judges Priyantha Liyanage and Thilakarathna Bandara upheld the conviction.
Jayasundara, who served as Sri Lanka's 34th police chief from April 2016, faced charges of criminal negligence, dereliction of duty, and aiding and abetting deaths through his alleged failure to take preventive measures despite receiving advance intelligence warnings of the planned attacks. The Easter Sunday bombings on April 21, 2019, struck churches and hotels across the country, killing more than 260 people and injuring hundreds, making it one of Sri Lanka's deadliest attacks.
The case followed a turbulent legal journey. After an initial acquittal in February 2022 in which Jayasundara was not called to present his defence, the Attorney General appealed the decision. The Supreme Court subsequently determined that the acquittal was contrary to law and ordered the trial to proceed. Jayasundara was compelled to resign following the attacks, with the government placing him on leave in April 2019.
The trial against former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando, who faced similar allegations regarding the failure to prevent the attacks, remains pending, with judgment expected to be announced separately.
