SC to hear appeals filed by convicts in Vidya murder in Nov.

The Supreme Court has scheduled the hearing of appeals on November 6, filed by the convicts who were sentenced to death over the abduction, rape, and murder of schoolgirl Sivaloganathan Vidya— an incident that sparked widespread outrage in Jaffna in 2015.

The appeals were taken up before a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court, consisting of Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena and Justices Achala Wengappuli, and Sampath Abeykoon.

During the proceedings, the attorney representing the appellants informed court that it took more than four and a half years to obtain the Tamil-language translations relevant to the case.

Accordingly, the defense counsel requested court to assign an early date for the appeal hearing.

In response, Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena stated that the appeals would be given a date to ensure an expedited hearing.

As such, court scheduled the hearing of the appeals for November 6.

The incident dates back to March 3, 2015, when 18-year-old schoolgirl Sivaloganathan Vidya was abducted, raped, and murdered while returning home from school. In 2017, the Jaffna High Court sentenced seven individuals, including a suspect known as “Swiss Kumar”, to death for the crime.

The convicts have now submitted appeals to the Supreme Court through their attorneys, arguing that the imposition of the death sentence was in violation of the law, and requesting that they be acquitted and released from the charges.