• Urges Govt. to bring same owing to sufficient grounds undermining rule of law, calls for permanent IGP appointment  

The main Parliamentary Opposition, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), stated that there are sufficient grounds to remove suspended Inspector General of Police (IGP) Deshabandu Tennakoon from his post, and that it would fully support a motion in the Parliament to that effect.

Speaking to the media, SJB Parliamentarian Ajith P. Perera said that Tennakoon has undermined the rule of law in the country, and that his 20-day disappearance after a court-issued arrest order is proof that he does not respect it. "There is sufficient evidence to confirm that he has a seriously corrupt character. A criminal conviction is a separate process, but there are enough grounds to remove him from the IGP's office, which can be done by passing a resolution in the Parliament."

He added that it is the Government’s responsibility to bring such a resolution and assured that the SJB would fully support it. "We opposed Tennakoon's appointment as the IGP from the beginning. The SJB also opposed it in the Constitutional Council. When the then-President Ranil Wickremesinghe appointed Tennakoon, we opposed it in court. Therefore, we have the moral right to support his removal through legal means. The responsibility of presenting the motion lies with the Government, and we urge them to bring it forward soon."

Perera further stressed the need for a permanent IGP to be appointed, charging that an Acting IGP cannot effectively lead the Police force. "A qualified and independent individual who can provide proper leadership should be appointed as the permanent IGP. A temporary IGP cannot fulfill that role."

Attempts to contact the Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala and Deputy Minister of Public Security Sunil Watagala to inquire as to whether the Government would bring a motion to remove Tennakoon were unsuccessful.

On 24 July 2024, the Supreme Court issued an interim order preventing Tennakoon from functioning as the IGP. The order will remain in effect until the final ruling on the nine Fundamental Rights petitions challenging his appointment. He is currently in remand custody over a shooting incident that occurred near the W15 Hotel in Weligama in 2023.