The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) expressed grave concerns about the appointment of the new Inspector General of Police (IGP) Deshabandu Tennakoon.
According to the BASL President, President’s Counsel Kaushalya Nawaratne, the main issue is the fact that Tennakoon is a person who has been found guilty by the Supreme Court (SC) of Police torture. Nawaratne told The Daily Morning that in such a context, appointing Tennakoon to the position is a deeply concerning situation. He added that merely because Tennakoon has been appointed as the IGP, opposition against the appointment does not have to come to an end.
“It seems that the SC’s decision has been completely ignored (when making the appointment). Making such an appointment when the SC has given such a decision is a very serious matter,” he opined, adding that the BASL is in the process of looking into what sort of actions, including legal ones, that can be taken with regard to the appointment against the relevant parties.