201st Day of the Main Easter Attack Trial – HC (TAB) 2972/21
Date: 05th June 2026|
Venue: Special Permanent Three-Judge High Court (Trial-at-Bar), 2nd Floor, MCC Building, Adhikarana Mawatha, Colombo 12.
At the commencement of the proceedings, the Court directed the Registrar of the Colombo Magistrate’s Court to produce Production No. PR 133/2021, which was in relation to Case No. B48788/08/2021. Thereafter, the Court proceeded to hear evidence from the prosecution witnesses.
The prosecution first called PW-826, Nishadi Dasunmali, a Notary Public and Attorney-at-Law, who testified that she had attested Deed of Lease No. 1710 dated 3rd February 2019 concerning a house at Katuwapitiya. She stated that the lessors were Kalana Nuwan Ravindra and his wife Diduli Shanika Priyadarshini. Since Diduli Shanika Priyadarshini was abroad at the time of execution, she had executed Special Power of Attorney No. 946 authorizing Asarapulige Mary Jenet Emelda Silva to sign on her behalf. The lease was executed by Mohamed Azami Mohamed Mubarak as lessee, who was identified in evidence as the suicide bomber involved in the Kingsbury Hotel attack, and Mohamed Amir Mohamed Azam as witness for the lessee, while Justin Joseph Fernando signed as witness for the lessors. The index page of the identity document of the lessee was marked P-814, the Power of Attorney was marked P-813, and the original, duplicate, and protocol copies of the lease deed were marked P-816, P-817, and P-818. The witness was not cross-examined and was discharged.
Thereafter, PW-830, Asarapulige Mary Jenet Emelda Silva, testified that she had signed the lease agreement on behalf of Diduli Shanika Priyadarshini under the authority of the Power of Attorney. She stated that although the lease was for one year, the lessee took possession approximately one month after execution and occupied the premises for about three months. She identified Photograph P-69 as the rented premises but was unable to identify a person shown in another photograph who had allegedly negotiated the rental. During her testimony, the 6th accused stood up and behaved in an aggressive manner, making indecent gestures and alleging that CID officers were acting dishonestly and misleading the Court. The Trial-at-Bar ordered him to sit down, warned him regarding contempt of court proceedings, and observed that such allegations must not be made in that manner in open court. The witness thereafter completed her evidence and was discharged as there was no cross-examination.
The prosecution then called PW-710, Justin Joseph Fernando, who confirmed that he had signed the lease agreement as a witness on behalf of the lessors in relation to Deed No. 1710. His evidence was limited to that fact and he was discharged since there was no cross-examination.
Thereafter, PW-826 Nimal Kithsiri Perera, a lorry driver, testified that on 6th February 2019 he had been hired by a Muslim person to transport household goods from a residence at Janapada Mawatha, Daluwapitiya, to the Katuwapitiya house. He stated that he carried out the transportation but was unable to identify the persons involved. He confirmed that the Katuwapitiya house was the same premises referred to in Lease Deed No. 1710, and he was discharged since there was no cross-examination.
The next witness, PW-838 Shantha Lal, also a lorry driver, testified that on 9th April 2019 he was hired to transport goods from the Katuwapitiya house to the Eastern Province, specifically Kalmunai and Sammanthurai. He stated that six Muslim males were present at the premises during loading. The goods included large plastic bottles, cardboard boxes, fertilizer bags, a washing machine, two gas cylinders, and plastic baskets. He further stated that he was informed that the plastic bottles contained sulphuric acid used for gold-related work. He transported part of the goods to Sammanthurai, where some items were unloaded, and the remainder to Nindavur.
The prosecution produced CD P-820 and CD P-821. From CD P-820, a photograph of a two-storied house at Sengal Village, Sammanthurai was marked as P-820(A), and another image showing a sulphuric acid bottle was marked as P-820(B). From CD P-821, photographs including a green double-door gate at Nindavur P-821(A) images of the premises beyond the gate, and picture of the items such as gas cylinders, a generator, and plastic buckets which were marked as P- 821(B) and P-821(C) respectively. The witness explained that the sulphuric acid bottles were not unloaded at a single location.
During his evidence, PW-838 identified the 6th accused as a person who travelled with him from Katuwapitiya to Kalmunai. He also identified the 7th accused as a person who assisted in loading goods, although he admitted uncertainty in that identification. He further identified the 14th accused as an elderly person seen at the Katuwapitiya house, again with uncertainty. In cross-examination by the 4th accused, it was suggested that the 14th accused was in police custody at the relevant time, which the witness said he was unaware of. He maintained certainty regarding the 6th accused but conceded uncertainty regarding the 7th accused. In further cross-examination by the 7th accused, he stated that he believed the 7th accused may have assisted in loading goods but could not confirm it definitively.
After completion of evidence, the prosecution tendered an additional list of witnesses numbered PW-2234 to PW-2297 and moved the Court to issue summons for PW-1412, PW-1413, PW-2255, PW-2256, and PW-2257 for the next date. Both the prosecution and counsel for the 1st accused filed written submissions relating to the Voir Dire inquiry of the 1st accused. The Court also extended the deadline for filing written submissions in the Voir Dire inquiry of the 18th accused from 9th June 2026 to 15th June 2026. The matter was thereafter adjourned and fixed for continuation of trial on 8th June 2026 at 10.00 a.m.
