Hirunika Appeal Referred to Three-Judge Panel

COLOMBO (News 1st); Former Parliamentarian Hirunika Premachandra’s appeal against the prison sentence imposed on her has been assigned to a three-judge bench by the President of the Court of Appeal.

The move follows a division among judges when considering a determination on the appeal, prompting the matter to be referred to the President of the Court of Appeal for further directions.

Accordingly, the appeal was taken up before President of the Court of Appeal Rohantha Abeysuriya.

At that stage, a bench comprising President of the Court of Appeal Rohantha Abeysuriya, P. Kumaran Rathnam and Pradeep Hettiarachchi was appointed to hear the appeal.

The court also ruled that the appeal will be taken up before the newly appointed bench on January 21.

Premachandra was sentenced by the Colombo High Court to three years of rigorous imprisonment and fined after being found guilty of charges including the abduction of a young employee of a shop in Dematagoda using a Defender vehicle on December 21, 2015, unlawful detention, and assault.

She has filed the appeal seeking to be acquitted and released from the sentence imposed by the High Court.