Supreme Court Sentences Immigration Chief Harsha Ilukpitiya to Two Years for Contempt of Court

The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka today (23) sentenced Harsha Ilukpitiya, the Controller General of Immigration and Emigration, to two years in prison after finding him guilty of contempt of court.

The verdict was delivered by Justice Yasantha Kodagoda, with Justices Janak de Silva and Arjuna Obeyesekere concurring. Justice Kodagoda emphasized that Ilukpitiya’s actions amounted to a serious breach of respect for the judiciary.

The case stemmed from a Cabinet-approved proposal under the previous government to outsource the electronic visa issuance process to two private companies. The Supreme Court later suspended the move through an interim injunction and ordered the continuation of the existing visa procedure.

However, Ilukpitiya reportedly disregarded this directive and continued to act against the court’s order. His non-compliance led to charges of contempt of court.

The Supreme Court determined that Ilukpitiya had willfully undermined the court’s authority, justifying the two-year prison sentence.

Read more articles like this on www.srilankanpost.com