• CC yet to receive nominations for new IGP  

Although the second service extension granted to incumbent Inspector General of Police (IGP) Chandana D. Wickramaratne is to end on 9 October, no nominations for the post have been referred to the Constitutional Council (CC) so far, and another extension is likely to be granted to him, The Daily Morning learns.

Wickramaratne, whose initial service extension expired on 26 June 2023, was granted another three-month service extension by President and Defence Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on 9 July, and the same was approved by the CC on 14 July.

When contacted by The Daily Morning, a member of the CC said that the CC had not received any nomination for the IGP thus far. He also said that he was of the belief that Wickramaratne would be granted another service extension by the President. “This matter should come to the CC only if a new IGP is to be appointed. There is no need to make such a reference to extend the service of the current IGP. What the CC has to do is to decide if a particular officer is eligible to be appointed as the IGP. Us approving the initial service extensions to Wickramaratne means that he is eligible to hold the post. So, there is no need to ask the CC again.”

Wickramaratne, who had submitted retirement papers earlier this year (2023), was provided with a three-month service extension by the President, and it expired on 26 June. Following its expiration, the Police Department ran with its topmost post being vacant for several days, and he was granted another service extension on 9 July. The continuous granting of extensions to him has seen criticism from Opposition Parliamentary groups that claimed that doing so would adversely impact on the ensuring of law and order in the country.