Three Tamil judges have been chosen by the Sri Lankan Chief Justice top preside over a special trial-at-bar for the rape and murder of Pungudutivu student Vithya Sivaloganathan in 2015.
The trial will be held at the Jaffna High Court, with Vavuniya High Court judge Balasingam Sasi Mahenthiran leading alongside Jaffna High Court judge Manikkavasagam Ilancheliyan and Trincomalee High Court judge Annalingam Premashankar.
A request by the defendants to transfer the case to Colombo met with fierce opposition from the victim’s family and the local community.