The Attorney General Department told Batticaloa High Court today that it will not be proceeding with the case against Pillayan over the 2005 assassination of Tamil National Alliance MP Joseph Pararajasingham.
Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan, alias Pillayan, leader of Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP), a government-aligned paramilitary group, is accused of killing Pararajasingham. Pararajasingham was shot dead by two gunmen on Christmas Day 2005 as he was attending midnight mass at St Mary's Cathedral, Batticaloa. Pararajasingham's wife, Sagunum Pararajasingham, was seriously wounded alongside seven other civilians who were injured during the ambush.
It is widely believed that the assassination was sanctioned by the Sri Lankan government and orchestrated by Colonel Karuna Amman's political faction.
Pillayan who was released on bail in November 2020 reportedly said that he had been imprisoned for "political revenge". Batticaloa High Court will deliver its verdict on Wednesday.
