The detention order on retired Major General Suresh Sallay, former Director of the State Intelligence Service (SIS), has been extended for an additional 90 days amid ongoing investigations related to the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks in Sri Lanka. Sallay has been held under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) since his arrest by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in February 2026. He is currently receiving treatment in a hospital for a cardiac condition.

Family members of Sallay have made public appeals urging the government not to prolong his detention. Mrs. C. Sallay, his mother, addressed a letter to President Dissanayake requesting a fair hearing for her son and an opportunity to meet with the President. In the letter, she emphasized Sallay’s 37 years of service in the Sri Lankan Army and called for a balanced approach—allowing investigations to proceed where evidence exists, but requesting that her son’s detention not be extended during the inquiry.

Similarly, Manori Sallay, the wife of the former SIS chief, submitted an urgent appeal to the President, marking her second such request since May. She highlighted the serious decline in Sallay’s health as a reason to reconsider the continuation of his detention. As of the latest update, there has been no official response from the President or government authorities acknowledging these family requests.

The case involving Sallay is part of a broader trial currently underway before the Colombo Permanent Trial-at-Bar. On September 22, the court is expected to deliver its verdict concerning 25 accused individuals charged with conspiracy, aiding and abetting, arms procurement, and attempted murder related to the Easter Sunday attacks. Collectively, the accused face more than 23,000 charges under the PTA connected to their alleged roles in orchestrating the terrorist incidents that took place in 2019.