The Supreme Court has overturned a Court of Appeal ruling that quashed the indictment filed against former minister Janaka Bandara Tennakoon, allowing legal proceedings in the long-running case to move forward.

The decision follows a special leave to appeal petition filed by the Attorney General challenging the Court of Appeal’s earlier order, which had invalidated the indictment before the Kandy High Court.

The indictment, filed in 2020, relates to the alleged shooting and killing of an 18-year-old youth in Matale in 1999. Tennakoon had been charged with committing and conspiring to commit murder.

The former minister had previously sought relief from the Court of Appeal through a writ petition, arguing that the indictment against him was unlawful. The appellate court subsequently ruled in his favour, quashing the charges.

However, with the Supreme Court now setting aside that decision, the indictment has been reinstated, paving the way for the case to proceed before the High Court.