The Court of Appeal has postponed further hearings on former State Intelligence Service Director Suresh Salley's legal challenge against his arrest, while his legal team argues that ongoing investigations into the Easter Sunday attacks are subject to political interference.
The Court of Appeal has scheduled August 25 for the next hearing in the case of former State Intelligence Service Director Suresh Salley, who is challenging his arrest and detention by the Criminal Investigation Department. The decision came during proceedings before Court of Appeal President Justice Rohantha Abeysuriya and Justice Priyantha Fernando to consider intervening petitions seeking permission to file submissions in the matter.
Salley's legal counsel, President's Counsel Sanjeewa Jayawardena, raised concerns about the independence of investigations related to the Easter Sunday attacks. He referenced findings from the Janak de Silva Commission, which had recommended that such investigations proceed without political interference. However, Jayawardena pointed to statements made by Leader of the House Bimal Rathnayake in Parliament, in which Rathnayake indicated that members of the Catholic community had requested the involvement of investigators Shani Abeysekara and Ravi Seneviratne in the Easter Sunday probe.
The defence counsel further argued that the selection process for investigators appeared inconsistent with historical precedent. He noted that Buddhist religious leaders had not made comparable requests for specific investigators during previous inquiries into incidents such as the Aranthalawa massacre or the attack on the Temple of the Tooth Relic. According to Jayawardena's submissions, these disparities suggest that undue political influence may have shaped the current investigation appointments.
