The appeals filed by the seven suspects, sentenced to death over the gang rape and murder of the schoolgirl Sivaloganathan Vidya, were ordered to be taken up for consideration on December 13 by the Supreme Court.
The applications, demanding the exemption from the punishment of the defendants, were taken up today (09) before the three-judge bench comprising the Supreme Court Justices Eva Wanasundara, Nalin Perera and Prasanna Jayawardena.
Taking into consideration the submissions of the appeals, the judge bench ordered to take up for hearing on December 13 for further confirmation of submissions.
The Attorney General had filed a case before the Jaffna High Court against nine individuals for the controversial incident of abduction, gang rape and murder of the schoolgirl Sivaloganathan Vidya, a resident of Pungudutivu in Jaffna, on April 4, 2015.
Following a lengthy trial, Jaffna High Court released two of the defendants and sentenced the others to death.
The defendants who received death sentence had appealed the Supreme Court to repeal the decision of Jaffna High Court imposing the death penalty on them, claiming the decision to be illegal, and to acquit them of all allegations.
