Pujith Was Sentenced to Death — What About Ranil?
On July 31, 2026, the Colombo Permanent High Court Trial-at-Bar delivered a landmark verdict in one of Sri Lanka’s most painful chapters: the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks. Former Inspector General of Police Pujith Jayasundara and former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando were found guilty of criminal dereliction of duty for failing to act on prior intelligence warnings that could have prevented the bombings that killed 275 people and injured nearly 500 others.
The verdict marked a moment of long-awaited accountability. But for many Sri Lankans, one question inevitably followed: What about Ranil Wickremesinghe?
The Case Against Pujith and Hemasiri
The legal proceedings against Jayasundara and Fernando have been protracted and contentious. Initially indicted in May 2021 on 855 charges, including murder and attempted murder, the two former officials were acquitted in February 2022 when the Trial-at-Bar ruled there was insufficient evidence to call for their defence.
That decision sparked public outrage. The Attorney General appealed, and in November 2024, the Supreme Court annulled the acquittal and ordered a fresh trial. The retrial concluded in June 2026, with the verdict finally delivered on July 31, 2026.
The prosecution argued that Jayasundara and Fernando had received specific intelligence warnings about suicide bombings planned by Zahran Hashim and his group, targeting religious sites and hotels between April 7 and April 21, 2019. Their failure to act, prosecutors contended, amounted to criminal negligence that cost hundreds of lives.
Where Does Ranil Wickremesinghe Fit In?
The question of accountability for the Easter Sunday attacks has always been politically charged, and Ranil Wickremesinghe — who was Prime Minister at the time of the attacks — has consistently found himself at the centre of public scrutiny.
However, the legal and factual record tells a more complex story. The Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) appointed to investigate the attacks, which submitted its final report in February 2021, did not recommend criminal charges against Wickremesinghe. While charges were recommended against former President Maithripala Sirisena, Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando, and Police Chief Pujith Jayasundara, Wickremesinghe was notably absent from that list?
Testifying before the PCoI in October 2020, Wickremesinghe explained that after the constitutional crisis of October 2018, former President Sirisena had excluded him from National Security Council meetings. This effectively meant that by the time the Easter Sunday attacks occurred, Wickremesinghe was not receiving the same intelligence briefings that had been provided to Sirisena and the security establishment, which later found to be a misleading.
The Political Context
The disparity in accountability has not escaped public notice. Wickremesinghe, who later served as President from 2022 to 2024, has repeatedly called for the Easter Sunday reports to be depoliticised. In a statement issued in October 2024, he said: "I request all parties not to politicise the Easter reports" and dismissed allegations against him by Colombo’s Archbishop, Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, as "baseless".
Yet the perception of double standards persists. In April 2026, a separate legal case emerged against Wickremesinghe concerning the alleged misappropriation of state funds during a visit to Britain to attend his wife’s doctorate graduation. The government proposed setting up a three-judge Trial-at-Bar to hear that case, raising questions about selective prosecution.
A Question of Justice
The sentencing of Pujith Jayasundara and Hemasiri Fernando represents a significant victory for accountability. But the question of why those at the highest levels of political decision-making — including Ranil Wickremesinghe — have not faced similar legal consequences lingers.
Wickremesinghe’s defenders point to the PCoI’s findings and his exclusion from security briefings as evidence that he bears no direct responsibility. His critics argue that as Prime Minister, he should have ensured robust national security protocols were in place, regardless of internal political disputes.
The Court itself, in its verdict, focused narrowly on the specific failure of the two officials to act on intelligence — not on broader systemic or political accountability. The legal system, constrained by the evidence placed before it, could only go so far.
For the families of the 275 victims of the Easter Sunday attacks, the verdict against Jayasundara and Fernando is a measure of justice long overdue. But it is not a complete reckoning. The question of whether Ranil Wickremesinghe — or others in positions of political authority — should share that responsibility remains unanswered in the courts.
Ultimately, the Easter Sunday tragedy exposed deep failures in Sri Lanka’s intelligence and security apparatus, failures that transcended any single individual. While Pujith and Hemasiri now face the consequences of their inaction, the broader political and institutional accountability remains a lingering wound for a nation still seeking closure.