The President of the Court of Appeal has appointed a three-judge bench to hear the appeal filed by former Member of Parliament Hirunika Premachandra challenging her prison sentence.
The appeal was referred to the President of the Court of Appeal for further action after a division arose among the judges while considering the verdict.
Accordingly, the matter was taken up today (11) before President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Rohantha Abeysooriya.
During the proceedings, Justice Abeysooriya appointed a three-member bench comprising himself, Justice P. Kumararatnam and Justice Pradeep Hettiarachchi to hear the appeal.
The court directed that the appeal be taken up for hearing before the newly appointed bench on January 21, 2027.
Premachandra was convicted by the Colombo High Court over charges including the abduction, unlawful detention and assault of a young man employed at a shop in the Dematagoda area on December 21, 2015, using a Defender vehicle.
Following the conviction, she was sentenced to three years of rigorous imprisonment and fined.
She subsequently appealed, seeking to have the convictions and sentences set aside and to be acquitted and released from the charges.
