BREAKING: Welikada Massacre verdict: Neomal Rangajeewa aquitted, Emil Ranjan sentenced to death

Neomal Rangajeewa aquitted from all the charges while Emil Ranjan Lamahewa was sentenced to death, from Welikada Prison Massacre case.

The verdict on the case waa delivered this evening

Although delivering the verdict on the massacre was scheduled on 6 January, it
was postponed to today (12)

Twenty-seven inmates were killed while more than 20 others were injured in the shooting during the Welikada Prison riot on 9 November 2012, when prisoners took control of the congested Prison objecting to an unannounced search by the Special Task Force to search for hidden arms, drugs and mobile phones at the Prison.

Former AG Dappula de Livera had filed the case against IP Rangajeewa and former Prison Commissioner Emil Ranjan Lamahewa on 33 charges. The indictments against the duo read that the inmates were imprisoned for allegedly engaging in drug dealing.

The case was heard for nearly three years before Judges Gihan Kulathunga, Pradeep Hettiarachchi and Manjula Thilakaratne.

Despite the verdict on the case is pending, Rangajeewa was promoted to SSP post on 5 January