The judgment was delivered on March 26, 2026, by a bench comprising Justices B. Sasi Mahendran and Amal Ranaraja, following an appeal filed by the Attorney General challenging the Colombo High Court’s verdict.
The accused had been indicted before the Colombo High Court on charges including conspiracy to assassinate Raviraj, his murder, and the killing of Police Constable Lakshman, who was travelling with him at the time of the attack. Among the suspects were three Sri Lanka Navy intelligence officers.
The case was initially heard before a special jury in 2016, which returned a unanimous verdict acquitting all accused. The Attorney General later appealed, arguing that the trial judge had failed to properly guide the jury, particularly regarding the testimony of a key accomplice witness.
In its ruling, the Court of Appeal found that the High Court judge had not adequately instructed the jury on how to evaluate the accomplice witness’s evidence. The witness had been granted a conditional pardon, and his testimony was a central component of the prosecution’s case.
The judges also raised concerns about the manner in which the jury was charged, noting that instructions began late in the evening and continued until around 11:00 p.m., with the verdict delivered shortly after midnight—circumstances they described as unusual.
After reviewing the case, the Court of Appeal concluded that sufficient evidence exists to proceed and ruled that the acquittal be set aside. Accordingly, it ordered a fresh trial before the High Court.
Former TNA MP Nadarajah Raviraj was shot dead in Colombo in November 2006 alongside his police bodyguard, in a killing that drew widespread local and international attention.
