Feb 06, Colombo: The Special High Court Trial-at-Bar today ordered to hear the case filed by the Attorney General against nine Army intelligence officers accused of abducting and disappearing journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda on the 13th of February.

The case was taken up before a three-member trial-at-bar at the High Court comprising justices Sampath Abeykoon, Sampath Wijeratne and Gihan Kulatunga.

Deputy Solicitor General Sudarshana de Silva, who appeared on behalf of the Attorney General, gave a file of documents presented as evidence in the case to the defendants’ attorneys.

After considering the submissions of the lawyers of the two parties, the three-member panel of judges ordered the plaintiffs' lawyers to present an opportunity on the 11th for the defendants’ attorneys to examine the computer systems containing the telephone calls named as evidence in the case.

The three-member panel of judges also ordered the case to be taken up again on the 13th to consider the progress of those activities.

Commanding Officer of Giritale Army Camp, Lieutenant Colonel Shammi Arjun Kumararatne, R.M.P.K. Rajapaksa alias Nathan, W.V. Priyantha Dilanjan Upasena alias Suresh, Seneviratne Mudiyanselage Ravindra Rupasena alias Ranji, Yapa Mudiyanselage Chaminda Kumara Abeyratne, Seneviratne Mudiyanselage Kanishka Gunaratne, Aiyasami Balasubramaniyam, Tharanga Prasad Gamage and T.E.R. Peiris, are the accused army intelligence officers.

The Attorney General under the Penal Code has charged the defendants with kidnapping or abduction with intent secretly and wrongfully to confine Prageeth Eknaligoda in Girithale, Habarana and Kottawa on or around 25 January 2010 and murder of the journalist. The Colombo Special Trial-at-Bar served indictments on the nine army officials in November 2019.