213th Day of the Main Easter Attack Trial – HC (TAB) 2972/21
Date: 23nd June 2026|
Venue: Special Permanent Three-Judge High Court (Trial-at-Bar), 2nd Floor, MCC Building, Adhikarana Mawatha, Colombo 12.
On behalf of the prosecution, PW-1370, PW-1372, PW-1376, PW-1393, PW-1371, PW-1381, and PW-1420 (via online evidence) were present before court.
PW-1376 – Dr. Chandana gave evidence that, on 27 August 2018, approximately eight months before the Easter Sunday attacks, he examined a patient who had been admitted to the Colombo National Hospital to get the immediate treatment to an accident happened due to explosion of an oxyacetylene gas cylinder during gold-related work. The hospital admission card was marked P-876. According to the admission record, the patient’s name was M.A. Shahid and had sustained injuries to the left eye, fingers, and head. The guardian had informed the hospital that the injuries resulted from an oxyacetylene gas cylinder explosion. Following the initial examination, the patient was referred to a neurologist, ophthalmologist, plastic surgeon, and orthopaedic surgeons.
The witness identified the hospital admission card and marked it as P-876, P-876(A) and P-876(B) as same signatures written in Tamil resembling “Gaffur”, P-876(C) as the signature of Sadiq, and P-876(D) as a note written in Tamil by the guardian stating that a police inquiry was unnecessary. A photograph of the injured person was produced and marked P-878. During the proceedings it was revealed that the injured person had not in fact been M.A. Shahid, but the brother of Saharan Hashim, who had been admitted under the name M.A. Shahid.
During cross-examination by Counsel Khaneel Maddumage, PW-1376 stated that the signatures appearing on P-876(A), P-876(B), and P-876(C) had not been placed in his presence and that he was unable to identify the persons who signed those portions. During further cross-examination by the 4th accused, it was suggested that P-876 had been physically altered by removing a latter portion of the document. To show the different, the copy of the corresponding document maintained by the TID was produced and marked 4VD-1, which the witness stated contained more information than P-876.
During re-examination, the witness maintained that when the notes and signatures had originally been entered on P-876, the document had been of its proper length and width and showed no indication that any part had been removed.
Then after PW-1420 – Ms. Kalapuwage Lakshika Dulanjani was called and she gave evidence that she had worked as an accountant at Edirisinghe Cushion, Nittambuwa, until 2020. She stated that during her employment, a customer named Mubarak had brought a minivan to the establishment to have a sheet cover fitted. The job card dated 25 February 2019 was produced and marked P-860, which she identified. According to P-860, the customer was recorded as Mubarak. A photograph of Mubarak was marked P-861, and the witness stated that she could remember the individual who had accompanied Mubarak. The relevant invoice was produced and marked P-862, bearing the date 26 February 2019.
The witness further stated that she had participated in an identification parade at Colombo MC. She explained, she had identified the individual who had accompanied Mubarak and during the parade. However, at the time of giving evidence she was unable to identify the individual who had accompanied Mubarak.
During cross-examination by Counsel Khanil Maddumage, PW-1420 admitted that she could not clearly remember whether she had positively identified the accompanying person during the identification parade. Reference was made to the identification parade report, which described the identified individual as a thin, young-looking man, approximately forty years of age, with a beard. The witness further acknowledged that the identification parade had taken place during the COVID-19 period and stated that she had no knowledge as to whether participants had been wearing face masks. During cross-examination by the 9th accused, the witness stated that she had not been informed beforehand whom she was expected to identify at the parade. She denied it.
Thereafter, PW-1388, PW-1367, PW-1370, PW-1371, PW-1374, and PW-1373 were temporarily released and directed to attend court on the following day.
PW-1369 – Tharjudin Mohamadu Niyadu then gave evidence that he was the manager of Salim Hameem Explosive Shop, a licensed dealer in explosives used for quarrying and rock blasting. He explained that explosives were sold only to persons holding licenses issued by the Ministry of Defence and that the establishment sold blasting powder, water gel, ammonium nitrate and related explosive materials.
Production No. 29/19 was shown to the witness. The production cover was marked P-879, while the book contained inside was marked P-880. The three entries recording the sale of explosives to J.A.D. Nimal Jayakody were marked P-880(i), P-880(ii) and P-880(iii).
Production No. 33/19 was then produced. The production cover was marked P-881. The licence issued by the District Secretariat Registrar was marked P-882, the seal of J.A.D. Nimal Jayakody appearing on the licence was marked P-882(1), and the entry dated 2 March 2019 was marked P-882(2). The water gel sale notes were marked P-883(1) and P-883(2). District Secretariat Office Form No. 7 was marked P-884, while the entries relating to J.A.D. Nimal Jayakody were marked P-884(1) and P-884(2).
The individual water gel tablets were marked P-885, P-886, and P-887, bearing identification numbers W-28666, W-30578 and W-30568 respectively. The remaining 176 water gel tablets were marked P-888, and the regiform box containing those tablets was marked P-889. The witness stated that productions P-879 to P-884 had been before the Kuliyapitiya Magistrate’s Court under case No. B-63971/19, while the water gel productions were maintained under reference PR-508/2019 in case CE-387/19 and remained in the custody of the Ampara Police.
Thereafter, P-829 (CD) was played in court, and the witness was shown the photographs marked P-829(G), P-829(H) and P-829(I) depicting detonators and water gel explosives, all of which he identified.
There was no cross-examination
Accordingly, the proceedings were concluded for the day.
The next date is 2026/06/24 at 10 a.m. for further trial
