The Jaffna High Court officially read and confirmed the Supreme Court judgment in the Pungudutivu schoolgirl murder case. The court brought the long-running case back into focus after years of appeals and prison developments linked to the 2015 abduction, sexual assault, and murder of a schoolgirl on 13 May while she travelled to school.
The Supreme Court earlier reviewed appeals submitted by seven convicted persons. During that process, the Supreme Court acquitted two accused and upheld the death sentence for the remaining five. The High Court then called the surviving accused before it and read the final Supreme Court ruling for enforcement in Jaffna.
Court Confirms Death Sentences for Surviving Convicts.
One convicted prisoner had already died in prison due to illness during the trial process, while another inmate died by suicide inside Jaffna Prison on 25 June, reducing the number of surviving convicts before the hearing.he High Court confirmed the Supreme Court decision and reaffirmed the death penalty for the remaining three convicts who survived at the time of the hearing. The judges stated that they followed the final appellate ruling without alteration and ensured its execution at the lower court level.
Authorities maintained that the judicial process reached its conclusion at the Supreme Court stage. The High Court focused only on formal confirmation and enforcement rather than re-examining evidence or verdicts. Legal officials moved the convicts forward in line with the final judgment.
Acquitted Suspects Released After Final Review.
The High Court also ordered the release of the two individuals whom the Supreme Court had already acquitted. The court directed prison authorities to discharge them immediately, bringing closure to their legal involvement in the case.
With this step, the justice system completed all remaining procedural actions in the case. The ruling finalized a decade-long legal process that passed through trial, appeal, and Supreme Court review stages in Sri Lanka’s judiciary.
