The High Court trial-at-bar hearing the Easter Sunday terror attack case has ordered the defence to begin presenting evidence from today (17), following the conclusion of the prosecution’s case against all 24 accused.

The three judge bench, comprising Judge Nawaratne Marasinghe (President) along with Judges Sujeewa Nissanka and Ramanathan Kannan, determined that sufficient grounds existed to call evidence from every accused in the case.

Before ordering the defence to proceed, the bench explained the rights entitled to each of the accused and directed them to state their individual positions.

Of the 24 accused, the sixth, Mohamed Rizwan, informed the court that he would not be giving evidence and intended to remain silent.

The remaining accused indicated they would either give evidence from the dock, make a statement from the dock, or present external evidence in their defence.

The prosecution’s case, built over 547 days of evidence presented across a five year period, drew on testimony from approximately 1,500 witnesses in relation to 23,270 indictments filed against the 24 accused.

Prosecutors also tendered 2,076 court exhibits, including documents, bomb making material and other evidence gathered through witness testimony.

Ten confessions made by the accused before a magistrate and under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) were presented during the trial, though the court ruled the confession given by accused Mohamed Firdauz inadmissible after determining it had not been made voluntarily.

The remaining confessions were found to have been given voluntarily and were permitted to be presented as evidence.

The accused stand charged in connection with the attacks carried out by Zahran Hashim and his terrorist cell, which killed around 268 people and injured over 500 others when churches and tourist hotels were targeted on Easter Sunday in 2019.

The Sri Lankan government’s approval rating has fallen to 50%, while public confidence in the country’s economic outlook has weakened sharply, according to the latest “Mood of the Nation” poll conducted by Verité Research.

The July 2026 poll found that government approval had moderated from 65% recorded in the previous round conducted in February 2026. The latest figures show 49.83% approving of the way the government is working, while 31.40% disapprove.

Public perceptions of the economy also deteriorated significantly.

The proportion of respondents who believe the economy is “getting better” declined to 41.63%, or around 42%, from 64% in February. Meanwhile, 40.29% said the economy is “getting worse,” up sharply from around 15% in the previous round.

More than half of respondents also expressed a negative assessment of current economic conditions. The poll found that 55.59% rated the state of the economy as “poor,” while 38% described conditions as “good” or “excellent.”

As a result, Verité Research’s Economic Confidence Index fell to minus 8, returning to negative territory after having recorded +36 in February 2026. The index ranges from minus 100 to +100 and combines public assessments of the current state and future direction of the economy.

Verité Research said its Gallup-style “Mood of the Nation” poll was conducted with Vanguard Survey (Pvt) Ltd as the polling partner.

The latest findings mark a significant reversal from February, when the government recorded 65% approval and economic confidence reached its highest level in the poll’s four-year history.

Tamils in the north have refused to sign documents to allow the legal takeover of their land for the expansion of the Palali Airport without first knowing the amount of compensation they would get.

A total of 660 acres of private land was acquired by a gazette issued in 1986.

The owners vacated the land during the war and stayed with their relatives or friends, but continued to agitate demanding a return of the land.

Following the end of the war, the Valikamam North divisional secretariat started a programme to grant compensation for the land acquired by the state.

A total of 538 owners handed over ownership documents to the DS, with 445 agreeing to accept compensation, while 48 others remain undecided.

Another 45 insisted they want their land back, while 105 persons are listed although not having documents prove ownership.

DS Maradalingam Pradeepan chaired a meeting in the first week of this month with the people, where he attempted to obtain their signatures to an affidavit already prepared.

They said they disagreed with a clause which says that they agree to obtain compensation, because the amount of compensation they would get is not mentioned anywhere.

The DS confirmed no figures were given and asked them to make their written observations in the document.

The owners insisted that particular clause be omitted if they are to sign the affidavit and said they need to be party to deciding the amount of compensation.

The DS was asked to calculate the present-day value of the land and include it in the document.

Correspondents reported that the people walked out of the meeting in protest.

Quoting a woman among them, correspondents said the land acquired is not used in the expansion of the airport, but that members of the military are seen doing farming there.

Sri Lanka is currently evaluating 19 proposals to operationalize the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA), with a Request for Proposals (RFP) expected to be issued within the next two months, Deputy Minister of Ports and Civil Aviation Janitha Ruwan Kodithuwakku told EconomyNext.

“We have received 19 proposals. So, it’s being evaluated right now. I think within the next one to two months, we’ll be able to float an RFP once the qualified bidders are selected,” Kodithuwakku said.

The fresh push to commercialize the state-owned facility comes after a previous attempt to manage the airport failed.

The government had earlier entered into a management agreement with an Indian and Russian joint venture to operationalize the facility under a 30-year lease.

The deal aimed to convert the facility into a profitable entity through transit flights and specialized cargo operations, but was later cancelled after both firms were blacklisted by the US State Department.

Inaugurated in March 2013 as Sri Lanka’s second international gateway, the airport was constructed with an investment of approximately 209 million US dollars, largely funded by loans from the Export-Import Bank of China.

Designed to handle one million passengers annually and featuring a 3,500-meter runway capable of accommodating large aircraft such as the Airbus A380, the facility was envisioned as a regional catalyst to support a tourism surge in the Southern province, a logistics hub, and a sea-air transshipment link with the nearby Magampura Mahinda Rajapaksa Port, which is leased to China under a 99-year tenure.

Despite its high-tech infrastructure, the facility has consistently incurred financial losses, earning the moniker of the world’s emptiest international airport.