SW News: The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka has ordered former President Maithripala Sirisena, four other officials, and the state to pay a compensation of 311 million rupees to the victims of the Easter Sunday bombings. The terror attacks claimed 269 lives in 2019.

The court ordered former president Sirisena to pay a sum of 100 million rupees while former police chief Pujith Jayasundara and ex-State Intelligence Service Director Nilantha Jayawardena have to pay 75 million rupees. Former defence ministry secretary Hemasiri Fernando has been told to pay 50 million rupees, and former Chief of National Intelligence Sisira Mendis has to pay 10 million rupees as compensation.

The State was told to pay one million rupees as compensation to the victims. The seven-member bench headed by Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya said in its verdict that the state and the individual respondents must make their payment to the victim fund maintained at the Office for Reparation. Respondents are directed to pay the aforesaid sums out of their funds.

The money ordered as compensation should be paid fairly and equitably to the victims and families, said the court adding that the Office for Reparation must also investigate the alleged underpayment and nonpayment concerning the cabinet decision taken to compensate the victims. “We also direct the Office for Reparations to invite any generous benefactors and donors to contribute towards the Victim Fund, by way of notifications in the media,” the court said.
The court directed that the State take appropriate disciplinary action against the former Director of State Intelligence Service Nilantha Jayawardena for his aforesaid lapses and failures. It also ordered a progress report on the scheme of payment and the details about payments made by the respondents and any benefactor within six months.

The Bar Association of Sri Lanka, victims' relatives, Catholic clergy, and others had submitted twelve petitions. The decision was made after a case was heard against Sirisena and other high-ranking state officials for allegedly failing to stop the bombings in April 2019 that injured more than 500 people despite having a warning of the attack.