Appeal for retrial over murder of MP Raviraj and his driver to be considered on April 4

A petition filed by the Attorney General (AG) seeking a retrial into the the murder of former Jaffna district MP Nadaraja Raviraj and his driver at Narahenpita in 2006 is to be heard on April 04 by the Appeal Court.

The appeal for another hearing on the murder was taken up before Appeal Court judges Deepali Wijesundara and Achala Vengappuli today (Jan 30).

However, the hearing was adjourned since Lieutenant Chandana Prasad Hettiarachchi alias 'Navy Sampath' - the suspect in the case had requested time to obtain legal assistance in order to present his arguments.

Meanwhile, the appeals filed by four suspects and the wife of the late MP would also be heard on April 04.

The AG, in his appeal had said that the veridict on the case which was issued on December 23, 2016 could not be considered as a justifiable one since it was delivered at midnight. He claimed that the judges were exhausted when the verdict was delivered and hence called for another hearing on the case.

The AG also pointed out several flaws that had taken place while reading out the verdict.

The suspects in the case were cleared of all charges and later released on December 24, 2016 following the verdict which was issued by the special judge bench including Colombo High Court judge Manilal Vaidyathilaka.