Kuwait has deported 20 convicted Sri Lankan prisoners under an extradition agreement between the two countries, according to media reports. The inmates, held at Kuwait's Central Prison, were repatriated on Wednesday to Katunayake Airport on a special flight to Sri Lanka, reported the Sri Lankan Daily News.

The repatriated prisoners, who had been arrested in Kuwait on charges including drug use and smuggling, underwent the judicial process, were sentenced, and subsequently imprisoned, the report added. They arrived at Katunayake Airport aboard a Boeing C-17 aircraft, the largest aircraft in the Kuwaiti Air Force.

Approximately 50 Kuwaiti security personnel accompanied the prisoners, while a group of Sri Lankan Prison Department officials met them at the airport to transfer the inmates to a prison in Colombo.

Although 52 Sri Lankan prisoners have been repatriated on two occasions under the prisoner exchange agreement with Kuwait, no Kuwaiti prisoners have yet been transferred from Sri Lanka, the report noted.

The exchange pact was signed in 2007, and under the agreement, 32 Sri Lankan prisoners were sent back home in 2024.

Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara said there is no legal barrier in bringing a motion to remove suspended IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon from the office of IGP as claimed by former Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe.

The Court of Appeal today directed the relevant Returning Officers to suspend the election activities until tomorrow (02), in relation to Local Government institutions where political parties and independent groups have filed petitions challenging the rejection of nomination papers.

The Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) has been made compulsory for obtaining all services from the Department of Motor Traffic (DMT). In an official notice, DMT Commissioner General Nishantha Anurudda Weerasinghe announced that the requirement to provide a TIN will be enforced from April 15.

Former State Minister Sathasivam Viyalendran, who was arrested by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) has been further remanded until April 8.

The Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court today ordered that former Uva Provincial Councillor and former Minister Chamara Sampath Dasanayake be further remanded till April 8 over the alleged withdrawal of six fixed deposits maintained by the Uva Provincial Council in a State bank at Badulla in 2016.

Referring to the recent sanctions imposed by the United Kingdom on top Sri Lankan military officials, Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka, who played a significant role in the country’s civil war, stated that the sanction against former Army Commander Shavendra Silva was unreasonable.

Sri Lanka has experienced a significant surge in HIV/AIDS cases in 2024 recording over 800 cases. According to the National STD/AIDS Control Programme, Sri Lanka has logged 824 cases reflecting a 18 per cent increase compared to the year 2023, which saw 694 cases.

A direct flight service between Tiruchirappalli in Tamil Nadu and Jaffna in Sri Lanka commenced today after 47 years. Due to the war situation, flight services at the Palaly International Airport, Jaffna were suspended, but in 2019, the airport resumed its services. Passenger flights between Chennai and Jaffna started after the reopening of the airport.

In a swift response to an urgent appeal, the Court of Appeal today issued an interim order suspending the decision made by the Puttalam High Court Judge to remand a lady lawyer over an alleged contemptuous conduct.

Former Minister of Public Security Tiran Alles has arrived at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) to record a statement. According to reports, the former minister arrived at the CID to record a statement regarding the shooting incident in front of a prominent hotel in Weligama in 2023.