The Colombo High Court today (May 16) ordered the acquittal and release of Sivalingam Aruran, a defendant in the case related to the assassination attempt on then Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa in a suicide bombing at Pittala Junction in Kollupitiya in 2006.

Delivering the verdict, Colombo High Court Judge Navaratne Marasinghe stated that the court ruled that the confession given by the defendant to the Assistant Superintendent of Police under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) was not voluntary.

Accordingly, the Judge also mentioned that the relevant confession will be rejected by the court.

The judge, who ruled that the prosecution has not succeeded in proving the charge against the accused beyond a reasonable doubt, mentioned that the defendant will accordingly be acquitted and released from the case.

Furthermore, the court ordered that the case against Ponnasamy Karthigesu Sivaji, who was also accused in this case, be forwarded to Judge No. 01 of the Colombo High Court for hearing.

Aruran is a Tamil-language writer best known for winning the award for Best Independent Tamil Novel at the 65th State Literary Awards Ceremony while in his 16th year of detention under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). 

His novel ‘Aathurasalai’ was written entirely while at the Welikada Prison, after authorities arrested him in 2006.