Former Kurunegala Mayor Thushara Sanjeewa and four others were sentenced to three years of rigorous imprisonment after they were found guilty of demolishing the King’s Assembly Hall or the King’s Court dating back to the era of King Buwanekabahu, in Kurunegala.

The sentence was handed down by Kurunegala Provincial High Court Judge Lal Bandara, who also ordered for the accused to pay a sum of Rs. 13.7 Million as compensation for the damages caused.

The King’s Assembly Hall dating back to the era of King Buwanekabahu, in Kurunegala was demolished by the Kurunegala Municipal Council, using a back-hoe loader on the 14th of July 2020 citing the need to expand the road.

During that period, there was serious condemnation over the matter, and then-Kurunegala Mayor Thushara Sanjeewa justified his reasons for doing so.

Later on, legal action was instituted against then-Kurunegala Mayor Thushara Sanjeewa, then-Kurunegala Urban Commissioner Pradeep Nishantha Thilakaratne, Acting Superintendant Ilaldeen Zulfikar, and Back-hoe operator Lakshman Priyantha.

The accused were charged under five indictments, and Kurunegala Provincial High Court Judge Lal Bandara delivering the verdict, said that each offense carries a sentence of one year.

Thus, each suspect received a sentence of three years each, and was also fined Rs. 50,000/- each.