The committee appointed to appear into any lapses by State Intelligence, Police and the Armed Forces through the mass anti-government protests and violent incidents across the island on 09 and ten May 2022 has advised that the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) conduct an investigation into former Army Commander General Shavendra Silva.
Accordingly, the committee, referred to as the Karannagoda Committee, advised that the CID conduct an investigation into General Shavendra for not taking the needed measures to stop the violence incited and the burning of MPs homes on the aforementioned dates.
The report submitted by the committee additional stated that General Shavendra, in his capacity as the Chief of Defence Staff, had failed to communicate the orders issued by the Secretary to the Defence Ministry to the relevant officials in order to stop the violence that had occurred.
The report was handed more than to President Ranil Wickremesinghe on 08 September 2022, though a copy of the report was submitted to the Court of Appeal on 24 February 2023, by Karannagoda ‘s legal representation, President’s Counsel Uditha Igalahewa.
In June 2022, then President Gotabaya Rajapaksa appointed a 3-member committee, comprising of Marshal of the Air Force Roshan Gunathilake and General R. M. Daya Ratnayake, and chaired by Admiral of the Fleet Wasantha Karannagoda.
The Karannagoda Committee was appointed just after 34 MPs belonging to the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), which includes Bandula Gunwardena, Shehan Semasinghe, prasanna Ranatunga, Janaka Bandara Tennakoon and Gamini Lokuge filed a petition against IGP Chandana D. Wickramaratne, former Army Commander and present Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Shavendra Silva, the Defence Secretary, Senior DIG-in-Charge of Western Province SDIG Deshabandu Tennakoon and 13 other individuals, searching for an order that the torching of their residencies be investigated, and to inquire into any lapses that may possibly have taken location by the relevant officials.
