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Lawyers’ Collective calls for prosecution of Acting IGP for FR violations
The Lawyers Collective has written to Attorney General Sanjay Rajaratnam, requesting him to prosecute respondents of the Fundamental Rights Application 107 /2011, including Acting IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon.
The Lawyers Collective has said the Supreme Court found Tennakoon and two other police officers guilty of infringing upon the Fundamental Rights of petitioner Ranjith Sumangala guaranteed by Articles 11(1), 12(1), 13(1) and 13(2) of the Constitution relating to freedom from torture, the right to equality and freedom from arbitrary arrest, detention and punishment.
Full text of the letter, titled ‘SCFR Application No. 107/2011 decided on 14.12.2023 wherein three police officers namely one Bandara, Bathiya Jayasinghe Inspector of Police and M.W. Deshabandu Tennakone (the current Acting Inspector General of Police), the 1st, 2nd and 5th Respondents to the said Application were found guilty of infringing the fundamental rights guaranteed to Ranjith Sumangala, the Petitioner under Articles 11, 12(l), 13(2) of the Constitution’: The Supreme Court on 14.12.2023 found that the above named Police Officers, including the Current Acting Inspector General of Police Deshabandu Tennakone have violated the fundamental rights guaranteed to the Petitioner, Ranjith Sumangala, by Articles 11, 12(l), 13(1) and 13(2) of the Constitution by assaulting the said Petitioner, Ranjith Sumangala, whilst in Police custody at the Mirihana Police Station, in order to extract confessions with regard to the robberies that the said Ranjith Sumangala had allegedly committed.
In the said judgment, the Supreme Court has unreservedly upheld the following contentions of the Petitioner.
1) that the 1st and 2nd Respondents above named tortured the petitioner at the Mirihana Police Station, in order to extract confessions with regards to robberies allegedly committed by the Petitioner.
2) that the 5th Respondent above-named tortured the Petitioner at the Mirihana Police Station on 17.12.2010 by beating him with a rubber band after stripping him naked and ordering him to rub Siddhalepa on his Genitals in order to extract confessions with regards to robberies allegedly committed by the Petitioner.
It would be clear to you that the above findings constitute the offence of torture under and in terms of section 2 of the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment Act No 22 of 1994.
As the Supreme Court has held in Land Reform Commission v Grand Central Limited (1981) reiterated by Janak De Silva J in SC(FR) Application 209/2021, “The Attorney General has a duty to the court, to the state and to the Subject…. he is vested with extensive statutory powers in relation to criminal investigations and prosecutions. Such powers are held in public trust.
They must be exercised for the due administration of justice according to the Rule of Law the basis of our Constitution.
In as much as the aforesaid findings demonstrate the presence of clear acceptable material constituting the said offence of torture, the Lawyers Collective points out, that it is your bounden duty to immediately prosecute against the said officers for committing, inter alia, the said offence of torture.
The Lawyers Collective also points out to you, in as much as an impartial investigation cannot be done whilst the 5th Respondent above named is functioning as the Acting Inspector General of Police, it is also your bounden duty to advice the appropriate authorities to have the 5th Respondent above named i.e. M.W. Deshabandu Tennakone, interdicted pending investigation.”
The letter has been signed by Reinzie Arsecularatne PC, Upul Jayasuriya PC, Prof Savithri Goonesekera, Dinal Phillips PC, Saliya Peiris PC, Nalin Dissnayake PC, Prof Camena Gunaratne, Geoffrey Alagaratnam PC, Manoj Nanayakkara AAL, Amila Egodmawatta and Prof Deepia Udagama on behalf of the Lawyer’s Collective.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF), on Thursday, signalled strong solidarity with Sri Lanka in the wake of Cyclone Ditwah, confirming that it is actively exploring options to provide further support for recovery and resilience beyond the existing Extended Fund Facility (EFF).
Julie Kozack, Director of the IMF’s Communications Department, opened her remarks with heartfelt condolences:
“Our deepest sympathies go out to the people of Sri Lanka for the effects of the devastating cyclone. Our hearts mourn the loss of life that has taken place,” she said, extending condolences to other Asian nations also grappling with severe flooding, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam.
On Sri Lanka, Kozack emphasised that the IMF is closely engaging with authorities, development partners, and counterparts to assess the humanitarian, social, and economic toll of the disaster.
“Large parts of Sri Lanka have been affected by floods, and we expect economic activity to be adversely impacted, in addition to the significant human toll,” she noted.
The IMF is awaiting the completion of a rapid post-disaster damage assessment, led by Sri Lankan authorities, in collaboration with international partners, to better gauge the economic impact.
“We are continuing to support Sri Lanka’s recovery, reform, and resilience under the EFF arrangement. Our staff is looking into options to further support Sri Lanka in the recovery process,” Kozack confirmed.
She reiterated that the Board meeting, scheduled for 15 December, remains on track, following the staff-level agreement on the fifth review reached in October—prior to the cyclone.
“We will provide additional details as the assessment of economic needs and damages moves forward, and as we have more information to inform our thinking around the options,” she added.
Naina Thambi Marikkar Mohamed Thahir was sworn in as a Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) National List Member of Parliament before Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne yesterday (05).
His appointment follows the resignation of SJB Parliamentarian Muhammathu Ismail Muththu Mohamed, who stepped down from his position on 28 November.
The SJB subsequently nominated Thahir to fill the resulting vacancy.
Accordingly, the Election Commission issued a Gazette Extraordinary declaring Naina Thambi Marikkar Mohamed Thahir a Member of Parliament, in terms of Section 64(5) of the Parliamentary Elections Act, No. 1 of 1981, as amended by Section 6 of the Elections (Special Provisions) Act, No. 35 of 1988.
With the issuance of the gazette, and the subsequent swearing-in, Thahir has officially assumed duties as a National List MP, representing the SJB.
A joint programme by the Ministry of Finance and commercial banks to provide loan facilities for new entrepreneurs will be launched in January next year, Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development, Sunil Handunneththi, told Parliament’s Ministerial Consultative Committee on 25 November.
Handunneththi said Rs 80 billion allocated in Budget 2026 for entrepreneurship loans will be channelled through the new scheme to ensure funds are distributed efficiently. A separate programme is scheduled for January to brief MPs on eligible sectors and the overall loan distribution process.
The Minister also announced the launch of a National Database for Industrialists, designed to consolidate information on all industrialists, under one system. Ministry officials told the Committee that promotional campaigns would be rolled out to encourage entrepreneurs to register, enabling easier access to government services.
Committee members also discussed the possibility of extending collateral-free loans to craftsmen registered with the National Crafts Council.
Officials from the National Paper Company Limited reported significant improvements in operations, saying monthly production at the mill had increased from 150–180 metric tons to 400 metric tons after rectifying earlier deficiencies.
Handunneththi further briefed the Committee on a new National Advisory Framework for issuing excavation permits, aimed at replacing the current ad hoc system with a more structured process. The framework is also expected to come into effect in January.
The meeting was attended by Deputy Chairperson of Committees Hemali Weerasekara, Ministers, Deputy Ministers, MPs, and officials from the Ministry of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development.
IMF pledges additional aid to Lanka following Cyclone Ditwah destruction
Marrikkar Mohamed Thahir takes oath as SJB National List MP
Govt. to roll out loan facilities for new entrepreneurs from next month
Customs working to clear four-day cargo backlog caused by Ditwah
Maldives donates 14 container loads of canned tuna
Lanka signs USD 100M loan and USD 3M grant agreements with ADB
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
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