• CC Chair Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana calls Cardinal’s letter to CC against SDIGs Deshabandu/Nilantha Jayawardena ‘totally inappropriate’
• Church defends right to voice concerns citing Easter attacks PSC/CoI reports, SC FR verdict  

While the Chairman of the Constitutional Council (CC), the Speaker of the Parliament, Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana is of the view that it is “totally inappropriate” for the Archbishop of Colombo Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith to send a letter to the CC regarding the appointment of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), the Catholic Church emphasised that the former has a right to make such an intervention.

In a recent letter to President Ranil Wickremesinghe, and another to the CC, Cardinal Ranjith had requested to completely disregard and not even consider Senior Deputy Inspectors General of Police (SDIG) Deshabandu Tennakoon and Nilantha Jayawardena as nominees for the post of the IGP, citing allegations against the duo over the Easter Sunday terror attacks of 2019. The relevant letter, which was seen by The Daily Morning, read: "It has been highlighted by several media reports that SDIGs Tennakoon and Jayawardena are amongst the top suggested nominees to be appointed as the IGP. In these circumstances, I, being the Archbishop of Colombo, wish to officially address my very grave and serious concerns that have arisen with regard to the matter." Cardinal Ranjith has cited the matters and recommendations pertaining to Jayawardena mentioned in the final reports of both the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) and Presidential Commission of Inquiry (CoI) that investigated the Easter Sunday terror attacks, and the Supreme Court (SC) judgement pertaining to several Fundamental Rights (FR) petitions in which Jayawardena was ordered to pay a compensation sum of Rs. 75 million to the victims of the terror attacks and their families. In the letter, he has also cited the observation made by the CoI that Tennakoon has only conducted himself as a 'messenger', and its recommendation to initiate a disciplinary inquiry against him. The Archbishop further claimed that while Tennakoon spearheaded the investigations into the incident of a hand grenade being discovered at the All Saints' Church in Borella in January 2022, the Police had arbitrarily and baselessly arrested workers in the Church even before checking closed circuit television footage in its totality."

When contacted by The Daily Morning and queried regarding the view of the CC on the Archbishop's letter, Abeywardana said: "It is totally inappropriate." In response to a question as to whether there is a possibility for the CC to consider it, he said: "No, it has to be done by the President."

In response to Abeywardana, the National Director of Communications of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Sri Lanka Father Jude Chrishantha Fernando said: "We had to make such an intervention in this process not for any other reason, but because it is clearly stated in the relevant investigation reports that both of them (Tennakoon and Jayawardena) are responsible for the Easter Sunday terror attacks. The Cardinal is not talking about this for political or other interests, but if one of them is made the IGP, great doubts will arise about the security of the country and justice for the people. They are two Police officers who waited for 269 people to die. So, can we think that if they become the IGP, they will perform the duties of that position properly?" He further stated that even the President is not capable of appointing 'anyone' to a certain position just because he has the powers to do so. "These officers are accused of not preventing this massacre. The Cardinal has a responsibility to speak out about this incident, and to pressurise the authorities to bring justice to the victims. He is not asking to appoint a particular officer as the IGP, and it makes it clear that he is not acting based on any agenda or exerting influence. As a prominent member of the Catholic Church, he has the right to ask for the appointment of the IGP in a fair manner. So, not only him, but anyone has the right to speak about it."

In April 2019, Chandana D. Wickramaratne was appointed as the acting IGP, and was confirmed in the position on 25 November 2020. He was scheduled to retire in March 2023, and was granted a three-month service extension by the President, which ended on 26 June. While the Police is currently running without the presence of an IGP, President Wickremesinghe is reportedly scheduled to refer nominations of four senior police officials including Tennakoon and Jayawardena, one of whom will be appointed as the IGP, to the CC today (4).