While there are vacancies for two Commissioners of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL), the Constitutional Council (CC) is yet to make appointments in their place, The Daily Morning learns.

Following the resignation of Dr. Vijitha Nanayakkara and the passing away of Dr. Nimal Karunasiri, there are two vacancies for Commissioners of the HRCSL.

The Daily Morning queried Speaker of the Parliament and CC Chairman Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana as to whether there is any preparation to appoint Commissioners for the existing vacancies, to which he said: “No, there is no preparation as of now.”

HRCSL Commissioners, Ven. Kalupahana Piyarathana Thera, late Dr. Karunasiri, and Dr. Nanayakkara had recently sent a letter to Abeywardana with copies to Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena and all members of the CC on 1 June. In the letter, they had claimed that HRCSL Chairperson, retired Supreme Court Judge Justice Rohini Marasinghe continues to act without regard for the opinion of the other Commissioners. Considering the matter, they had requested that the HRCSL be reconstituted to prevent further problematic situations.

When contacted by The Daily Morning to query about the course of action that he would take with regard to the request, Abeywardana, on an earlier occasion, said that he had received the request of the Commissioners and that the HRCSL would anyway be reconstituted as its tenure is about to end.

Against this backdrop, Dr. Nanayakkara had resigned from the post of the Commissioner of the HRCSL by informing President Ranil Wickremesinghe in writing, while Dr. Karunasiri passed away on 17 June following a brief illness.