The Vavuniya High Court has sentenced former Senior Deputy Inspector General (SDIG) of the Sabaragamuwa Province, Lalith Jayasinghe, to four years of rigorous imprisonment for aiding the escape of a key suspect in the gang rape and murder of 18-year-old schoolgirl Sivaloganathan Vithiya in Pungudutivu, Jaffna, in 2015.
During the hearing on 20 February 2025, High Court Judge M.M. Mihar found Jayasinghe guilty of helping Mahalingam Sasikumar, also known as ‘Swiss Kumar’, evade arrest. The judge ruled that the prosecution had proven the allegations beyond reasonable doubt and ordered Jayasinghe to serve four years of rigorous imprisonment. Additionally, he was fined Rs. 50,000, with failure to pay resulting in an extra six months of imprisonment.
The court also issued open warrants against Sri Gajan, a former Sub-Inspector of the Crime Investigation Division of the Kytes Police, who was accused of being complicit in the crime.
18-year-old Sivaloganathan Vithiya, a student at Pungudutivu Maha Vidyalayam, was abducted while returning home from school, brutally gang-raped, and murdered in May 2015. Her body was found the next day in an abandoned house, her hands and feet tied to logs.
The crime sparked outrage across the Northern Province, with protests erupting in Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, and other Tamil towns. Thousands took to the streets demanding justice, highlighting the culture of impunity and lawlessness in the Tamil homeland under Sri Lanka’s militarised security forces.
Protests escalated when one of the suspects, Swiss Kumar, managed to escape police custody and flee to Colombo, only to be recaptured and returned to Jaffna. Jayasinghe was later accused of orchestrating his release, further fuelling public anger and deepening distrust in Sri Lanka’s law enforcement and judicial system.
Mother of Vithya speaks to press following verdict
In 2017, a special tribunal sentenced seven men to death for their involvement in Vithiya’s rape and murder. This included Swiss Kumar, who was convicted of conspiracy to commit rape alongside other accused individuals. However, the escape of key suspects and the failure of Sri Lankan authorities to prevent such misconduct highlighted serious flaws in the policing and judicial processes.
Jayasinghe’s conviction marks a rare case of a Sri Lankan police official being held accountable for aiding criminals. His arrest in July 2017 came after sustained pressure from human rights activists and Tamil civil society groups, who have long accused Sri Lanka’s security forces of corruption, complicity in crimes, and shielding perpetrators of sexual violence.