The Colombo High Court reissued summons on President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in the forged signature case involving former UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake. 

This was the second time summons were re-issued on Sirisena and Wickremeisnghe. 

The former UNP General Secretary was arrested and remanded for allegedly displaying a fraudulent document to the media during the last Presidential Election by inciting racial or religious hatred among ethnic communities. 

He was later released on bail.

Attanayake was charged under Section 3(1) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) Act No. 56 of 2007.

This is the first time in Sri Lanka that an accused had been indicted in the High Court by the Attorney General over an offence that comes under the ICCPR Act.

The Attorney General, in his indictment, stated that Attanayake had publicly announced on December 22, 2014 that there was a secret agreement between the then Common Opposition Candidate Maithripala Sirisena and UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe.

The Attorney General also added Tissa Attanayake committed an offence under Section 3(1) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) Act No. 56 of 2007 by inciting racial or religious hatred among ethnic communities.