The Supreme Court on Friday (March 15) fixed a fundamental rights (FR) petition filed against the appointment of IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon to be taken up for consideration on April 02. The petition had been filed by Prof. Savitri Gunasekara earlier this month.

When the petition was called before a 3-member Supreme Court judge bench led by Justice Preethi Padman Surasena, the petitioning party was ordered to send notices to the respondents.

Subsequently, the petition was fixed for consideration on April 02.

The petitioner has sought a Supreme Court ruling invalidating the appointment of the police chief.

The Speaker of Parliament, the members of the Constitutional Council (CC), IGP Tennakoon and several others have been named as the respondents of the petition.

Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena found himself in hot water for ‘unconstitutionally and unlawfully’ using his decisive vote to affirm the appointment of IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon when the other members of the Constitutional Council were divided on a tie on the matter.

It was reported that four CC members had voted in favour of the appointment while 2 voted against and 2 others abstained. However, considering the 2 abstentions as votes cast against, the Speaker had used his vote as the deciding vote to go ahead with the appointment.

Earlier this month, His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, the Young Journalists’ Association, the Centre for Policy Alternatives, Niroshan Padukka of Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) also put forward FR petitions, challenging the appointment of IGP Tennakoon.

The petitioners claim that Tennakoon had neglected his duties during his tenure as the Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police (SDIG) of the Western Province when the 2019 Easter attacks happened, and a pre-mediated attack was launched on the ‘GotaGoGama’ protest site at the Galle Face Green where several protesters were brutally beaten.

The petitioners have emphasized that the post of the police chief, who is responsible for the implementation of the law in the country, should be given to an individual who has humane qualities, as opposed to someone who acted contrary to his assigned duties and in violation of basic human rights.

Against this backdrop, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volter Turk also raised concerns about the recent appointment of IGP Tennakoon, “despite the Supreme Court’s finding that he was implicated in the ‘torture of an individual in 2010.”