[10][11][12][13] President's Counsel Anil Silva appeared for eleventh accused; Duminda Silva, and Senior Counsel Asoka Weerasooriya appeared for the second, fourth, sixth, eighth and ninth accused.
[14] On 8 September 2016, the High Court of Sri Lanka found Silva and four of his associates guilty and imposed the maximum penalty, the death sentence, on all of them for the killing of Bharatha Premachandra and three of his supporters.
[18] It was alleged, before the verdict was announced, that Judge Gooneratne was involved in a conspiracy to acquit the main suspect Duminda Silva.
[19] Details of Judge Gooneratne's alleged involvement in this case have been reported in the Sri Lankan press soon after the verdict was announced.
[22] Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human rights conveyed her displeasure over the release of Duminda and insisted that Sri Lanka is giving another example for preferential selective granting of pardons.
[23] On 30 May 2022, The Supreme Court has issued an interim order suspending the pardon and he was later re-arrested.