LEN - www.lankaenews.com | Eknaligoda Case Takes a Turn: Former LTTE Member "Murali" Reveals Secrets in Court..!

Eknaligoda Case Takes a Turn: Former LTTE Member "Murali" Reveals Secrets in Court..!

By Ruwan Weerakoon

(Lanka-e-News -2026.July 30, 3.30 AM) Homagama High Court: The trial regarding the abduction of journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda on August 27, 2009, involving seven Military Intelligence officers as defendants, was taken up on July 28 at the Homagama High Court. Amidst heightened security with the deployment of Police and the Police Special Task Force (STF) across the court premises, the fourth witness in the case—Sumathipala Suresh Kumar, alias Thavendran, commonly known as "Murali"—commenced his testimony in open court, disclosing his past background and the sequence of events.

LTTE History, Surrender to the Military, and Meeting Ekneligoda

Beginning his testimony, Murali revealed to the court that he was formerly an active member of the LTTE and surrendered to the military following the end of the war during the final humanitarian operation in 2009.

Detailing the history of his acquaintance with journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda, the witness stated that they first met during the historic 2001 Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) between the Government and the LTTE, at a festival held at the Madhu Church in Mannar. He had met former Members of Parliament Selvam Adaikkalanathan and Dr. Jayalath Jayawardena there, where Mr. Adaikkalanathan introduced Eknaligoda to him. The witness further revealed that this connection, which began in 2001, continued until the devastating 2004 Tsunami disaster.

Girithale Camp and Identification of Intelligence Officers

The witness testified that after surrendering to the military, he was initially detained at the Trincomalee military camp for a period before being transferred to the Girithale Intelligence Camp, where he was kept in handcuffs. He disclosed that officers operated a phone on speaker mode and compelled him to make calls to various individuals.

He further stated that, when interrogated by officers about a phone number found in a notebook in his pocket at the time of his surrender, the number was revealed to be Prageeth Eknaligoda’s. During his testimony, the witness successfully identified several accused Military Intelligence officers present in open court, including Chammikumara Ratnam and Prabodha Siriwardena.

Defense Objections and Postponement

The defense counsel raised a strong objection when the witness attempted to testify about a conversation he had with Eknaligoda in January 2010.

Basis of the Objection:

The defense attorneys argued that since a separate case regarding the January 2010 disappearance is currently being heard before a Trial-at-Bar at the Colombo High Court, such evidence cannot be adduced in the Homagama High Court, which is specifically trying the August 27, 2009 abduction incident. Citing Section 5 of the Evidence Ordinance, the defense contended that introducing facts outside the specific charge in question was legally impermissible.

State Counsel Voxwell Perera led the evidence for the prosecution, while a panel of lawyers, including Senior Counsel Rasika Balasuriya, appeared for the defense.

Ordering both parties to submit written submissions regarding the preliminary objections, the Homagama High Court Judge postponed further trial and the delivery of the order on the objection until September 30.