Gotabaya Rajapaksa Moves Court To Block Arrest Amid Expanded Easter Sunday Probe

Former Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has filed a writ petition before the Court of Appeal seeking to block his possible arrest in connection with the widening investigation into the Easter Sunday Attacks , lawyers said on Tuesday.

The petition names the Inspector General of Police, the Director of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) , and the officer-in-charge as respondents. His legal team argued that there is a likelihood of arrest under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and sought urgent judicial protection.

Rajapaksa, who led Sri Lanka from 2019 to 2022, is already under a foreign travel ban imposed by courts in March , following developments in the same probe. The case has intensified after the arrest and detention of former State Intelligence Service chief Suresh Sallay under PTA provisions earlier this year.

Investigators allege Sallay played a key role in intelligence failures and possible orchestration links, claims he has denied. He was also appointed head of State Intelligence Service in 2020 during Rajapaksa’s presidency, a move now under scrutiny.

The 2019 Easter Sunday suicide bombings killed 270 people and injured over 500, targeting churches and luxury hotels across Sri Lanka. While the Islamic State claimed responsibility, authorities have blamed the local extremist group National Thowheeth Jama’ath (NTJ) .

Recent court submissions in Colombo have further expanded allegations, with prosecutors suggesting possible political and intelligence links behind the attacks, intensifying legal pressure on former officials.