The Supreme Court has scheduled hearings for nine Fundamental Rights (FR) petitions contesting the appointment of Deshabandu Tennakoon as the Inspector General of Police (IGP).
The petitions argue that Tennakoon’s appointment, having previously served as the Senior DIG for the Western Province, was made in an unconstitutional manner.
A five-judge Supreme Court bench, comprising Justices Preethi Padman Surasena, Yasantha Kodagoda, A.H.M.D. Nawaz, Shiran Gunaratne, and Achala Wengappuli, convened today (February 24) to review the case.
President’s Counsel Romesh de Silva, representing Tennakoon, informed the court that an interim injunction had already been issued, preventing his client from carrying out duties as IGP. Citing this restriction, he urged the court to expedite the hearing of the petitions.
After reviewing the submissions, the Supreme Court set the hearing dates for May 6, 7, and 8.
Among the petitioners are the Archbishop of Colombo, His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, the Young Journalists’ Association, and several other parties. They claim that the Constitutional Council’s recommendation to appoint Tennakoon was unlawful.
The petitions call for a court ruling declaring that Tennakoon’s appointment, based on these recommendations, violates legal provisions and should be deemed invalid.
