Maithripala Sirisena

Sri Lanka's former president Maithripala Sirisena has settled in full the SLR 100 million compensation for the victims of the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed 270 people, including 11 Indians, during his tenure. Sirisena, 72, was ordered by the Supreme Court to pay SLRs 100 million as compensation to victims for his negligence in preventing the country's one of the worst terror strikes despite having credible information of an imminent attack. His lawyers said the full payment of rupees 100 million was completed on August 16. Nine suicide bombers belonging to local Islamist extremist group National Thawheed Jamaat (NTJ) linked to ISIS carried out a series of devastating blasts that tore through three Catholic churches and as many luxury hotels on April 21, 2019, killing nearly 270 people, including 11 Indians, and injuring over 500. Sirisena was also the minister of defence at that time. The attack stirred a political storm as the then President Sirisena and Prime Minister

A Sri Lankan court on Friday named former president Maithripala Sirisena as a suspect in the 2019 Easter bombings in which 270 people, including 11 Indians, were killed. The Colombo Fort magistrate's court, which pronounced the judgement, accused Sirisena of neglecting intelligence reports on the impending attack leading to the bombings. Sirisena, 71, will now have to appear in court on October 14. The former president was earlier held as responsible for the attack by a probe panel he was forced to appoint following pressure from the Catholic Church and the relatives of the victims. He had denied the allegation. On April 21, 2019, nine suicide bombers belonging to the local Islamist extremist group National Thawheed Jamaat (NTJ) linked to ISIS carried out a series of blasts that tore through three churches and as many luxury hotels in Sri Lanka, killing 270 people.

The Commission issued notices to Sirisena on September 22 to testify before it on October 5

Sri Lanka's former president Maithripala Sirisena has been summoned by a presidential probe panel on August 26 to record his statement on the deadly Easter Sunday attacks, officials said on Monday.

Economically sluggish India faces tough Chinese competition in Sri Lanka and the Indian Ocean

The winner of its upcoming presidential elections could alter the nature of India's relationship with that country

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena said recently that the Presidential Elections is likely to be held in November or December

If the ruling goes against Sirisena it would put the president in a difficult situation given his public statement that he would not restore the pre-October 26 position by reappointing Wickremesinghe

Sri Lanka has been embroiled in a constitutional crisis since October 26, when Sirisena unexpectedly fired Wickremesinghe, who had served since 2015 in a unity government with the president

Sirisena on Friday night sacked Wickremesinghe and appointed Rajapaksa as the new prime minister

Sirisena arrived at the Basilica de Bom Jesus, a church housing relics of 16th century saint Francis Xavier

His public comments critical of his own administration could cause tensions in the unity govt with Wickremesinghe

Sirisena's move comes ahead of UNHR's brief on Sri Lanka to the ongoing 32nd session of UNHRC in Geneva on June 27

Sirisena said his government had accorded utmost priority to the welfare of soldiers