Hatton Ranjith Rajapaksa –
Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) former Ratnapura District Parliamentarian Premalal Jayasekara, also known as “Choka Malli,” has been arrested by the Nuwara Eliya Police Criminal Investigation Division.
The arrest was made over the possession of an unlicensed firearm.
The incident occurred on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, in the Nuwara Eliya area. According to reports, Jayasekara was visiting Nuwara Eliya with his family members and relatives when an argument broke out with another group from the Avissawella area.
The group later lodged a complaint at the Nuwara Eliya Police Station, alleging that Jayasekara had threatened them with a firearm.
An investigation carried out by a team of officers, including Chief Inspector Ravindra Premalal, revealed that although a license had been issued for the firearm by the Ministry of Defence, its validity had expired at the end of 2025.
Accordingly, the former MP was arrested and is scheduled to be produced before the Nuwara Eliya Magistrate’s Court.
Background of Premalal Jayasekara
Born on November 16, 1974, Premalal Jayasekara has served for many years as a Member of Parliament representing the Ratnapura District. He is a senior member of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna and has previously held the position of Deputy Minister. In political circles, he is widely known as “Choka Malli.”
Summary of Criminal History
The most serious criminal case involving Jayasekara dates back to the 2015 presidential election. On January 8, 2015, a group of individuals preparing a stage in support of then opposition common candidate Maithripala Sirisena in the Kahawatta area of Ratnapura was fired upon. At the time, Jayasekara was serving as a Deputy Minister in the Mahinda Rajapaksa government.
One supporter was killed in the shooting, while two others were injured. Following a trial at the Ratnapura High Court, Jayasekara and three others were sentenced to death on July 31, 2020.
He had already been elected to Parliament at the 2020 general election when the sentence was delivered, marking the first time in Sri Lankan history that a death-row inmate was sworn in as a Member of Parliament. He was subsequently brought to Parliament from prison in September 2020.
However, on March 31, 2022, the Court of Appeal acquitted Jayasekara and the other accused following an appeal. The court ruled that the death sentence handed down by the High Court was unlawful. After his release, he resumed his political activities.
