The Attorney General’s office informed the Supreme Court on the 20th of this month that no decision has been made to arrest former Director of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Shani Abeysekera, and former Senior DIG of the CID, Ravi Seneviratne, in connection with the ongoing investigations into the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks.
This statement was made during the hearing of fundamental rights petitions filed by Abeysekera and Seneviratne, seeking protection from arrest. The petitions are in response to complaints lodged by several police officers, including former DIG Palitha Siriwardhane.
The case was heard by a three-member bench consisting of Justices Preethi Padman Surasena, Achala Vengappuli, and Mahinda Samayawardhena.
Representing the Attorney General, the Deputy Solicitor General informed the court that the investigations are still at a preliminary stage, and advice has been sought by the CID. He also clarified that while there is no decision to arrest the two petitioners at present, should sufficient evidence arise, a motion will be filed with the court before proceeding with any arrests.