Three-judge bench appointed to hear Hirunika Premachandra's appeal

A three-judge Court of Appeal bench has been appointed to hear former MP Hirunika Premachandra's challenge to her conviction and prison sentence.

The appeal was referred to the court's president on November 11 after judges differed over the matter. The appointed bench comprises Rohantha Abeysuriya, P. Kumaran Ratnam and Pradeep Hettiarachchi, with a hearing scheduled for January 21.

The appeal concerns a conviction and three-year prison sentence linked to the abduction and detention of a young man in Dematagoda in December 2015. Appointment of the new bench does not itself overturn that conviction or sentence.