Date: 05th August 2026
Case No: HC (TAB) 2972/21
Court: Special Permanent Three-Judge High Court (Trial-at-Bar)
Venue: Special Permanent Three-Judge High Court (Trial-at-Bar), 2nd Floor, MCC Building, Adhikarana Mawatha, Colombo 12.
The case was taken up before the Trial-at-Bar with all accused present, except the 17th accused, who had passed away. The 1st, 2nd, 7th, 8th, 10th, 15th, 17th, 18th, and 19th accused were represented by Mr. Kaneel Maddumage, AAL. The 12th and 13th accused were represented by Mr. Ravindu Yasas, AAL. The 20th to 25th accused were represented by Mr. Mayuran Mahalingam AAL under the instructions of Mr. Sanjeewa Ruwanpathirana, AAL. The 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 9th, 11th, 14th, and 16th accused appeared in person.
The witness PW-1914, Gayan Rathnayaka, Inspector of Police presently attached to the Illegal Assets Investigation Division of the CID, gave evidence regarding investigations conducted in connection with the Easter Sunday attack and extremist activities. He stated that he had investigated several extremist training programmes conducted at the Malwana Panda Sports Arena, Lewella in Aruppola, Kandy, Palamune in Kattankudy, where a programme was conducted exclusively for women, Shanthipura Holiday Inn in Nuwara Eliya, houses at Sithpikulama in Hambantota and Blackpool in Nuwara Eliya, and Delgahagoda in Hingula.
The witness thereafter gave evidence regarding the investigation into the incident at the Tropical Inn, Dehiwala. By examining the Guest Registration Book, Abdul Latif Jameel Mohamed was identified as a person who had stayed at the hotel. The Guest Registration Book was marked P-115, while Jameel’s identity card recovered from the blast site was marked P-141. His driving licence and passport were also shown as P-159 and P-152. The witness stated that Jameel’s address was Lansiyawatte, Wellampitiya, and that his wife and brothers were arrested in connection with the deletion of messages sent by him. According to the witness, before going to the Tropical Inn, Jameel had first gone to the Taj Samudra Hotel and attempted to carry out a bomb attack, but the attempt failed. He thereafter went to Masjid Al Rahman Mosque and subsequently to the Tropical Inn. CCTV footage obtained from the Taj Samudra Hotel under PR Receipt No. 33/19 was shown to the witness, who identified Jameel in the footage.
PW-1914 also gave evidence regarding Mohamed Rilwan, the brother of Zahran Hashim, and a blast which occurred in the Karbala area of Kattankudy approximately eight months before the Easter Sunday attack. Rilwan sustained injuries in the incident. Although no production directly relating to the blast was obtained, the witness stated that the chain of evidence had been established through the investigation.
Following the blast, Rilwan was taken to his father’s house, Mohamed Qasim’s residence, where he received first aid. Gafur Mama and Milhan subsequently came there. On 27 August 2018, Rilwan was taken to the National Hospital, Colombo. The witness stated that Rasik Rasa Hussein had attempted to conceal evidence at the scene. Rilwan was admitted to the National Hospital by Sadik Abdullah under the name “M.I. Shahid”, while “M.I. Sadik” was entered as the guardian. The patient admission card was marked P-876, and Sadik Abdullah and Gafur Mama had signed it.
The witness stated that Rilwan had suffered injuries to his eyes and hands, including damage to his fingers, and was referred to the Colombo Eye Hospital on 28 August 2018. Statements were recorded from Sadik Abdullah and Gafur Mama, and their handwriting samples were forwarded to the Government Analyst. Samples of the handwriting of Gafur Mama and the 4th accused were also forwarded in connection with Colombo Magistrate’s Court Case No. B 36363/08/20.
The witness further stated that Sadik Abdullah had used telephone number 078-3321886, although it was not registered in his name. Approximately 600 calls had been made from that number to his wife, Fathima Shahida, whose number was 077-4109397. Call records also showed communications with the 3rd accused, Mohamed Riswan, and the 9th, 5th and 14th accused. According to the witness, the telephone analysis assisted in establishing communication links among members of the group.
On 12 May 2019, the witness investigated the residence of Akram Akram in Dehiwala, where posters, handbills and books were recovered under TID PR No. 38/19 and marked P-1865. The productions were produced before the Mount Lavinia Magistrate’s Court and the cover was marked P-1866. An English handbill containing the words “Note that enemies of Allah” was marked P-1867, and the Tamil version was marked P-1868. The witness also referred to the investigation concerning the 19th accused, Kachi Mohamedu Jemsith, who was alleged to have assisted in obtaining sulphuric acid and nitric acid for bomb preparation.
During cross-examination by Mr. Kaneel Madhumage, the witness denied that the statement of the 2nd accused had not been read over to him and that the accused was unfamiliar with Sinhala. Mr. Sanjeeva Ruwanpathirana questioned the witness regarding how information concerning Akram Akram had reached him. The witness stated that he did not have a proper note regarding the source but that the relevant file had been handed over by a CID unit. He denied suggestions that the handbills had not been recovered from Akram Akram’s house or that they had been brought from elsewhere and falsely recorded as having been recovered there.
The 3rd accused, Milhan, suggested that Rilwan had been injured by a gas-cylinder explosion rather than a bomb blast and that the incident had been used for political advantage. The witness denied the suggestions and stated that, if it had been an accidental gas-cylinder explosion, Rilwan could have been taken to the Teaching Hospital in Batticaloa, whereas he was instead kept at a private residence and later taken to Colombo. The witness maintained that the circumstances surrounding his treatment and admission under an alternative identity were relevant to the investigation.
The 4th accused questioned the witness regarding P-876 and the names “M.I. Sadik” and “M.I. Shahid”. The witness stated that investigators had information that these names referred to brothers involved in the blast and the Easter Sunday attack. He also denied having torn or removed any part of P-876. The 5th accused asked whether merely admitting a patient to hospital was an offence, to which the witness answered no.
The 9th accused questioned the witness regarding his visit to Kakunagolla, Kurunegala, in 2018 to arrest Saharan Hashim. The witness confirmed that he met Hadiya, Saharan Hashim’s wife, and that SI Dias of the CID had instructed him by telephone to leave the location because the CID was conducting a separate investigation. When asked whether he would have arrested Saharan Hashim if SI Dias had not intervened, the witness stated that this was not necessarily so. The evidence of PW-1914 thereafter concluded.
The witness PW-1434, Government Analyst Bandara gave evidence regarding the examination of post-blast effects recovered from the Katuwapitiya Church. The productions included steel balls, an iron sheet, a band, an upper backpack and damaged pieces of fabric, which were marked P-1869 to P-1878. He also explained the condition of the remains of Hasthun, identified as the suicide bomber, stating that his head and body had separated as a result of the explosion. The bomb carried on his back was estimated to have weighed approximately 30 kilograms.
The witness explained that the principal effects of an explosion are heat, blast and fragmentation, and that steel balls may be used to increase fragmentation and thereby cause additional injuries and damage. He also explained the functions of safety fuses, gelignite, detonators, water-gel explosives and non-electric detonators.
The Government Analyst’s Report No. CE-316/19 was marked P-1880, with the corresponding Sandeshaya marked P-1879, in connection with Batticaloa Magistrate’s Court Case No. B 621/2019. In relation to Sammanthurai Magistrate’s Court Case No. B 4596/19, Report No. CE-387/19 was marked P-1882 and the corresponding Sandeshaya P-1881. Further productions forwarded under PR No. 508/19 were marked P-1884 to P-1890.
During cross-examination by the 5th accused, the witness stated that 359 sticks of gelignite had been received for examination and confirmed that the parcel containing the productions had been properly sealed. His cross-examination thereafter concluded.
The witness PW-1820, Mahinda Jayasundara, presently an ASP attached to the CID, stated that he was serving as an OIC of the CID in 2019. He gave evidence regarding investigations conducted following the Shangri-La Hotel bombing. He visited the scene with a CID team in April 2019 and stated that Inshaf Ahmed had checked into the hotel under Room No. 616.
The witness also conducted investigations at Nasniya Villa, Daluwakotuwa Janapada Mawatha, a safe house at Dematagoda and Lucky Plaza. Various belongings of Inshaf Ahmed, including T-shirts, trousers, shoes and other personal items, were recovered and produced before the Colombo Magistrate’s Court. The list of productions was marked P-1891, while the relevant Government Analyst’s Reports were marked P-1892 to P-1894.
DNA examinations were conducted on certain items belonging to Inshaf Ahmed, including shorts, a T-shirt and a towel, marked P-1895, P-1896 and P-1897 respectively. Productions recovered from the Daluwakotuwa Janapada Mawatha location were taken into custody under PR No. 76/19 and marked P-1898 to P-1900.
The witness further gave evidence regarding Government Gazette Notifications concerning prohibited organisations. He referred to Gazette Nos. 2123/2, 2122/3 and 2323/13, under which organisations including the National Thawheed Jama’ath (NTJ) and Save the Pearl were declared prohibited organisations. He stated that subsequent Gazette Notifications removed certain organisations from the prohibited list. He also stated that he had been involved in the arrest of the 23rd accused, Ayathullah.
The proceedings for the day concluded at approximately 10.00 p.m., and PW-1651 was issued summons to appear before Court on the next date, 6 August 2026 at 9.00 a.m
