Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara was not informed ahead of presenting an award to former Sri Lankan Prisons Commissioner Emil Ranjan Lamahewa during a felicitation ceremony organized by the Prisons Department recently, Deputy Minister of Public Security Sunil Watagala said.

Speaking during an interview, the Deputy Minister said the organizers of the event had not informed the Justice Minister in this regard prior to the award presentation. 

He further said that the Justice Minister will soon issue a statement on the incident. 

Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara was criticised recently for having presented an award to former Sri Lankan Prisons Commissioner Emil Ranjan Lamahewa, who was convicted over the killing of prisoners during the 2012 Welikada Prison riot and had been sentenced to death by the Colombo High Court Trial-at-Bar.

However, in August 2024, the Supreme Court ordered to acquit Emil Ranjan Lamahewa. The decision was delivered by a panel of five judges of the Supreme Court after accepting an appeal filed on behalf of Lamahewa against the sentence.

Emil Ranjan Lamahewa was felicitated by the Prisons Department recently for his 34-year service, with him receiving an award from the incumbent Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara at the event. (Newswire)

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Former Prisons Commissioner Emil Ranjan Lamahewa who was sentenced to death over the deaths of inmates following riots at the Welikada Prison in 2012, has been acquitted by the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka.

The five-judge bench of the Supreme Court has released Emil Ranjan Lamahewa from the death sentence previously issued by a three-member bench of the Colombo High Court.

The Supreme Court announced the decision after taking up for consideration an appeal that had been filed on behalf of Lamahewa against the death sentence. (Newswire) 

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