Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has expressed his willingness to appear before any Magistrate Court in Sri Lanka, except the Jaffna Magistrate’s Court, his lawyer, Senior President’s Counsel Dr. Romesh De Silva, informed the Supreme Court.
This announcement came in response to an appeal filed by the families of two missing social activists, Lalith Weeraraj and Kugan Muruganandan, both residents of Jaffna. The activists disappeared while Rajapaksa was serving as the Defense Secretary.
The Jaffna Magistrate’s Court had previously issued a notice summoning the former President to appear on September 27, 2019, to testify in a habeas corpus case filed by the relatives of the missing activists, whose disappearance took place on December 10, 2011.
Rajapaksa was a presidential candidate at the time. His legal team petitioned the Court of Appeal to revoke the Jaffna Magistrate’s Court order, citing security concerns, which the Court granted.
Meanwhile, the parents and relatives of Weeraraj and Muruganandan filed an appeal challenging the Appellate Court’s decision. The case was taken up before a three-judge panel.
The judges have set March 18 as the date to revisit the petition. Lawyer Nuwan Bosage appeared on behalf of the families of the missing activists.
