Welesuda's request to abolish the death penalty will be rejected.

The Supreme Court today rejected a special leave to appeal petition filed by Gampola Vidanage Samantha Kumara, also known as 'Wele Suda', a notorious drug trafficker. Accordingly, the death penalty previously imposed on him by the Colombo High Court will remain unchanged and be carried out.

A three-member Supreme Court bench comprising Messrs. Mahinda Samayawardena, Arjuna Obeyesekere, and Sobhitha Rajakaruna rejected the granting of this leave, which sought permission to file an appeal against the lower court decisions. With the dismissal of this petition, the conviction and death penalty imposed against Samantha Kumara remain intact.

Wele Suda was thus sentenced to death by the Colombo High Court on October 14, 2015, after being convicted of possessing and trafficking 7.05 grams of heroin in the Mount Lavinia area in 2008. The relevant High Court verdict was pronounced by the current Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena, who was then serving as a judge of the Colombo High Court.

Subsequently, on April 5, 2019, the Court of Appeal also affirmed the High Court's decision, thereby upholding the death penalty. Through his petition, the petitioner had sought to challenge the legality of these judgments delivered by the Colombo High Court and the Court of Appeal.

During the hearing of this petition before the Supreme Court, President's Counsel Kapila Vaidyaratne appeared for the accused petitioner, while Additional Solicitor General, President's Counsel Lakmali Karunanayake represented the Attorney General and made submissions to the court.