Former SDIG sentenced for aiding suspect in Vidya murder case

The Vavuniya High Court has sentenced former Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police (SDIG) Lalith Jayasinghe to four years of rigorous imprisonment for facilitating the escape of Mahalingam Shashikumar alias Swiss Kumar, the main suspect in the gang rape and murder of 18-year-old schoolgirl S. Vidya in Punguduthivu in 2015.

The court announced the verdict while addressing charges related to Jayasinghe's actions that aided and abetted Shashikumar's escape from police custody.

Senior State Counsel Nishanth Nagaratnam led the prosecution in this case. Jayasinghe was accused of orchestrating the release of the suspect after local residents had apprehended him and handed him over to the police.

In 2017, seven individuals, including Swiss Kumar, were sentenced to death by a three-judge bench of the Jaffna High Court for the murder of Vidya Sivaloganathan.