Government has considered the Court Martial against Lt. Cdr. Welagedera as a means of revenge perpetrated by corrupt navy officials and decided to veto its’ ruling.

The senior naval intelligence sleuth has made startling revelations during investigations by the Police Criminal Investigations Department (CID) into the abduction and killing of six international school students committed at the Naval Base in Trincomalee.

This prompted Sri Lanka Navy to prosecute him in a Court Martial on the charge that he had gone overseas and had not reported for duty or AWOL (absent without official leave) for nearly seventeen days.

During the Court Martial he was found guilty and his seniority was suspended retrospectively suspended for four years.

Lt. Cdr. K. C. Welagedara appealed to President Maithripala Sirisena against the politically-motivated ruling of the Court Martial on the basis that it was held purely to exact revenge from him and was conducted in a highly unfair manner that violated his basic fundamental rights.

This Court Martial was highly publicized by the media.

Considering his appeal President has ordered the Navy not to demote the officer stating that impartiality (of courts and tribunals) and rule of law should be upheld in good governance.

Therefore the Naval intelligence officer is subject to the deduction of pay proportionate to the number of ays he failed to report for duty.