COLOMBO — The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka has delivered a landmark verdict today, holding former President Maithripala Sirisena and several top-ranking security officials civilly liable for failing to prevent the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings. The coordinated suicide attacks, which targeted three churches and three luxury hotels, remain the deadliest act of violence the nation has witnessed since the conclusion of its protracted civil war in 2009.
In a sweeping judgment that concludes years of legal uncertainty and public outcry, the seven-judge bench ruled that the former administration demonstrated “gross negligence” by ignoring credible, specific intelligence warnings provided by international partners in the weeks leading up to the massacre. The blasts, which claimed the lives of 269 people—including dozens of foreign tourists—shattered a decade of relative peace and plunged the country into a profound socio-political crisis.
The court’s decision mandates that former President Sirisena pay 100 million rupees ($275,000) in compensation to the victims’ families. Former Defense Secretary Hemasiri Fernando and former Inspector General of Police Pujith Jayasundara were also ordered to pay 50 million and 75 million rupees, respectively. The funds are to be paid into a victims’ compensation fund, marking a rare moment of accountability for high-ranking political figures in the country’s history.
“The failure of the state to act on clear and actionable intelligence is not merely a bureaucratic lapse; it is a fundamental violation of the rights of the citizens to life and safety,” the Chief Justice stated while reading the verdict. The court emphasized that the security apparatus, despite having detailed information about the impending strikes by local Islamist extremist groups, failed to take preventive measures or warn the public.
For many survivors and families of the victims, the verdict provides a long-awaited sense of vindication, though many remain skeptical about whether the financial penalties will lead to meaningful systemic change. Outside the courthouse, groups of supporters gathered, holding placards and calling for a deeper investigation into whether the attacks were facilitated by broader political conspiracies.
“Money cannot replace the lives of those we lost, but today, at least, someone has been told they are responsible,” said a spokesperson for a coalition of victims’ families.
The political fallout from the ruling is expected to be significant. Sirisena, who remains a member of parliament, has faced intense pressure to step down since the investigations began. Analysts suggest that this judgment could embolden activists and opposition groups to push for further criminal proceedings, potentially widening the scope of the inquiry to include other members of the former national security council.
As the nation reflects on the tragedy that permanently altered its security landscape, the government has vowed to strengthen intelligence coordination to ensure such a catastrophic failure of duty never occurs again. However, the shadow of 2019 remains long, and for the families left behind, the fight for comprehensive justice continues.
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