President stresses need to safeguard independence of police and judiciary

President Ranil Wickremesinghe says the rule of law cannot be protected without police and an independent judiciary, and, therefore, the two institutions should be protected at any cost.Speaking at a ceremony, held at the Bambalapitiya Police Field Force Headquarters, to mark the 156th Police Day, the President said the country’s democracy, and the rule of law, must be restored to achieve economic recovery.

He said: “The police are an important institution in the state machinery. In a democratic country, the law is made by people’s representatives. It has to be implemented by the executive. If that law is violated, the Parliament and the Cabinet will not function. We must respect the law and act according to the law.

When the law is violated, there are two institutions to act on it. First of all, it is the duty of the police to find out who is responsible for the violations, file cases against them and, if necessary, keep them in remand custody. Thereafter, the judiciary decides whether there have been violations of the law. Thus, the police and the judiciary are essential for a democratic country to function.