Terminate Acting IGP’s appointment, say Lawyers’ Collective

The Lawyer’s Collective in a letter addressed to President Ranil Wickremesinghe called for the immediate termination of the appointment of Deshabandu Tennakoon as Acting IGP in view of the recent Supreme Court judgment.

They urge the President to refer the judgment to the Attorney General to consider without delay charging the police officers with the serious criminal offense of torture, particularly in view of the preservation of evidence in imminent prosecutions, and also refer the judgment to the National Police Commission for action.

They added that a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court unanimously held that the respondents, including the current Acting IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon, violated the fundamental rights of the petitioner to freedom from torture, unlawful arrest, and arbitrary administrative action that denied equal protection of the law.

The letter noted that Deshabandu Tennakoon was the SP for Nugegoda at the time of the incidents complained of in the above case, and he was proven to have both participated in the acts of torture and illegal arrest and not fulfilled his responsibilities to prevent gross acts of torture by his subordinate police officers.

They Lawyer’s Collective said that all police officers found responsible must be formally charged with the serious crime of torture with immediate effect and they must be suspended from service.

They said that it is particularly grave that no immediate action has yet been taken against the said Deshabandu Tennakoon, given that he holds a position of power with influence over evidence and witnesses in an anticipated criminal prosecution against him.

The Lawyer’s Collectivesays that failure to act amounts to a daily reminder to the public that the President will not implement a judgment of the highest court of the country which has exercised the judicial power of the People under our Constitution, and they note that urgent action is a matter of national importance.

The Lawyer’s Collective informs the President that it was he who appointed Deshabandu Tennakoon with endorsement by the Constitutional Council, amidst public controversy over his suitability, for this high post, and that it is a complete failure of public trust by all involved.

The letter was sent by a group including Upul Jayasuriya, President’s Counsel Dr. Jayampathy Wickramaratne, President’s Counsel, Professor Savitri Goonesekere, Attorney-at-Law, Geoffrey Alagaratnam, President’s Counsel, Dinal Phillips, President’s Counsel, Saliya Pieris, President’s Counsel, on behalf of the Lawyers’ Collective.