The Parliamentary Opposition urged President and Defence Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to swiftly appoint an Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP) to comply with the Supreme Court's (SC) interim order barring Deshabandu Tennakoon from functioning as the IGP, amid looming uncertainty over the position and its impact on the upcoming elections.

Speaking in the Parliament yesterday (25), the Leader of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) and the Opposition, Sajith Premadasa emphasised the necessity of adhering to the Court's interim order without delay, highlighting the principle of checks and balances embedded in the Constitution. "The Cabinet of Ministers has no powers to withhold the interim order of the SC according to the concept of checks and balances enshrined in the country's Constitution. Therefore, I urge the President and the Government to implement the interim order of the SC. If the Cabinet tries to block the SC's interim order, that could amount to contempt of court," Premadasa claimed.

In response, Leader of the House, Minister attorney Dr. Susil Premajayantha, clarified that the Cabinet had not specifically discussed the issue during its meetings. However, he assured the Parliament that both the President and the Cabinet respect the SC's authority. "The Cabinet meeting (on Wednesday [24]) was held only for 45 minutes. The Cabinet did not specifically discuss the matter during its meetings, but, I assure you that neither the President nor the Cabinet would disregard the SC's interim order. Moreover, this matter is not under the purview of the Parliament, so, the Speaker of the Parliament (Chairperson of the Constitutional Council [CC]) and the other parties would take future actions accordingly," Premajayantha said.

Further supporting the Opposition's stance, jurist and Opposition Parliamentarian, Prof. G.L. Peiris pointed out that the Executive branch holds the power to appoint an Acting IGP without needing approval from the CC "The Executive branch has the authority to appoint an Acting IGP, and the approval of the CC is not required for this. The incumbent IGP has no legal right to remain in office following the SC's interim order," Peiris asserted.

Meanwhile, Opposition MP, attorney Dayasiri Jayasekara drew parallels between the appointment of the Acting Attorney General (AG) (at the time the Acting AG, President’s Counsel Parinda Ranasinghe Jnr. and subsequently appointed the permanent AG) and the current situation. "The President appointed the Acting AG without the approval of the CC. Why then could an Acting IGP not be appointed in a similar manner?," Jayasekara questioned.