The Police Department is awaiting President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s decision on the term of Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP) Deshabandu Tennakoon.
Speaking to The Sunday Morning, Police Spokesman DIG Nihal Thalduwa said that while the Acting IGP’s term was expected to end at the end of this month, they had not received confirmation yet on whether his term would be extended.
“This will have to come from the Presidential Secretariat, at the discretion of the President,” he said.
Meanwhile, as reliably learnt by The Sunday Morning, President Wickremesinghe will take the decision on the term of the Acting IGP towards the end of this month.
Acting IGP Tennakoon assumed his post in November 2023, following the retirement of IGP C.D. Wickramaratne, after the latter was granted four service extensions by President Wickremesinghe.
Although the Constitutional Council approved Tennakoon’s appointment in December 2023, his appointment has come under severe criticism, with concerned parties pointing to his alleged involvement in the attack at the ‘GotaGoGama’ protest site at the Galle Face Green on 9 May 2022 and his alleged failure to prevent the Easter Sunday terror attacks despite having the necessary information to do so.
Accordingly, several petitions were filed in the Supreme Court, including by Archbishop of Colombo Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, seeking an interim order restraining Tennakoon from accepting the post of IGP. Last week, the SC ordered that the petitions be taken up for consideration on 27 February.
Meanwhile, in a statement on Thursday (1), the President’s Office stated: “The President as the Head of the Executive is duty-bound to make certain appointments to high offices, including the Inspector General of Police, according to the procedure stipulated by the Constitution and in line with the President’s constitutional duty to exercise powers pertaining to the defence of Sri Lanka.”
Noting that the Constitutional Council has been empowered to assist the President in the making of certain decisions and is part of the Executive, the statement further said: “The Constitutional Council is duty-bound to perform its functions in terms of the Constitution. Requiring the Constitutional Council to refrain from performing its functions pertaining to the appointment of the Inspector General of Police under Article 41 C of the Constitution would be in violation of the Constitution. If the Constitutional Council exercises the power conferred on it in violation of the Constitution, remedies have been provided for in the Constitution itself.
“The Speaker is the Head of Parliament and under Article 4 C of the Constitution the Parliament exercises the judicial power of the people through courts. The Parliament is therefore responsible only to the people. The President will refer these matters to the Parliament for further elucidation.”
Attempts to contact Constitutional Council Chair, Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena proved futile. When contacted, Council Member Kabir Hashim declined to comment on the matter.