Madhu Wicramasingha
The Supreme Court today ordered former President Maithripala Sirisena to pay Rs. 1 million to the petitioner in the Fundamental Rights petition filed challenging former President Sirisena’s decision to grant a Presidential pardon to Royal Park murder convict Don Shamantha Jude Anthony Jayamaha.
The Court held that the petitioner, Women & Media Collective organization should hold such money in trust and spend it for the purposes that are in the best interests of female victims of crime and this sum of money should be paid within one month of this judgement.
In another landmark judgement pertaining to the scope of the pardon granted by the executive President, the Supreme Court yesterday ruled that former President Maithripala Sirisena’s decision to grant a Presidential pardon to Royal Park murder convict Don Shamantha Jude Anthony Jayamaha is arbitrary and not valid in law.
