Suspended Inspector General of Police (IGP) Deshabandu Tennakoon who was previously granted bail has been ordered to appear before the Matara Magistrate’s Court (MC) on 25 April.

Tennakoon was granted bail on 10 April by the Matara MC.

He has been ordered to appear before the Matara Magistrate for allegedly acting in violation of Court orders while leaving the Court premises.

Accordingly, Tennakoon and the owner of the car that was used to transport him out of the Court complex on 10 April have been summoned before the Matara Magistrate.

The order was issued yesterday (21) after the Court considered a motion filed by the Attorney General in which it is alleged that Tennakoon had violated Court orders.

Tennakoon surrendered to Court on 19 March and was subsequently remanded.

However, he was granted bail on 10 April under two sureties of Rs. one million each.

After an arrest warrant was issued in connection with a shooting incident near a hotel in the Pelena area of Weligama in December 2023, he surrendered to Court by submitting a motion after absconding for nearly 20 days.

The Matara MC previously issued an arrest order for eight Police officers, including former officers of the Colombo Crimes Division and Tennakoon, naming them as suspects in the shooting incident that occurred in front of the W15 Hotel in the Pelena area of Weligama, Matara, on 31 December 2023.

Following this, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) was instructed to arrest and present the eight individuals, including Tennakoon, before Court.

On 17 March, the Court of Appeal (CA) dismissed the writ petition filed by Tennakoon, in which he sought an interim injunction to prevent the execution of the arrest order issued by the Matara MC in connection with the shooting incident. The CA subsequently directed the CID to take immediate steps to arrest Tennakoon and present him before Court.