A Sri Lankan court has sentenced former Inspector General of Police Pujith Jayasundara and former Defence Ministry senior official Hemasiri Fernando to death in connection with the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, which killed 279 people, including 45 foreigners, and injured more than 500.
The attacks took place on April 21, 2019, when a series of suicide bombings targeted churches and luxury hotels across the country. The case focused on allegations that authorities failed to prevent the attacks despite prior intelligence.
According to the case details, India’s intelligence agencies had warned Sri Lanka weeks in advance about a possible suicide attack. However, Sri Lankan security forces and senior officials were accused of ignoring the alerts.
The two officials were arrested and later released on bail. In 2022, the Colombo High Court acquitted them, but the government appealed, and the case was reopened following Supreme Court directions.
Delivering the final verdict, judges said the accused failed in their duty to protect citizens’ lives and ensure public safety, and ordered the death penalty. Sri Lanka has not carried out executions since 1976, and earlier death sentences have typically been commuted to life imprisonment.
