What’s in store for the suspended Police chief?

The mouse hunt on former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Deshabandu Tennakoon concluded yesterday (19) when he surrendered to the Matara Magistrate Court after evading arrest for more than two weeks. In February this year, the Matara Magistrate Court issued an arrested warrant on the former IGP and eight others in connection to a fatal shooting that took place in Weligama in December 2023 which claimed the life of a Police sergeant while injuring a sub-inspector of Police. One of the main allegations against suspended IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon was that he had sent Colombo Crime Division officers to the Southern Province for personal reasons.

Investigations later accused Tennakoon of maintaining an unofficial armed squad. Following the issuance of the warrant, Tennakoon was also subjected to an international travel ban. 

During the height of the Yukthiya operation a team from the Colombo Crimes Division was deployed to the Matara area to conduct a drug raid. The team was investigating the network of alleged drug trafficker Nadun Chinthaka Wickramaratne alias Harak Kata. On December 31, 2023, a fatal shooting took place outside a hotel in Pelena, Weligama, killing one police officer and injuring another. The incident raised concerns regarding proper communication strategies between police teams during operations. 

While in hiding the former IGP filed a writ petition seeking an interim injunction to prevent the execution of the arrest order issued by the Matara Magistrate’s Court. However the Court of Appeal dismissed his request and ordered the CID to arrest and present him in courts. In addition, the Court of Appeal also ordered legal action against individuals who assisted Tennakoon in evading arrest.

Prior to his appointment as the 36th IGP of the country, four Fundamental Rights (FR) petitions were filed before the Supreme Court, seeking an order preventing Deshabandu Tennakoon from serving as the Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP), and also preventing him from being appointed as the IGP.

The relevant petitions were filed by Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, three victims of the 2019 Easter Attack, a protester from the ‘Aragalaya’ and The Truth and Justice Lawyers’ Association, with Acting IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon, the Attorney General and the Legislative Council named as respondents

The petitioners claimed that Tennakoon neglected his duties during his tenure as the Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police (SDIG) of the Western Province, during which the Easter Attack, and the attack on the ‘GotaGoHome’ protests, better known as the ‘Aragalaya’, took place, where several protesters were brutally beaten at the Galle Face Green.

Amidst mounting allegations, former President Ranil Wickremesinghe appointed Deshabandu Tennakoon to the position of IGP in February 2024 with approval from the Constitutional Council. However, in July 2024, the Supreme Court issued an interim order preventing Deshabandu Tennakoon from performing duties and functioning in the position of the Inspector General of Police (IGP).

The Supreme Court issued this order after granting leave to proceed with nine petitions, filed by several parties including Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, challenging the decision to appoint Tennakoon as the IGP. 

In February this year, the Supreme Court scheduled hearings for these FR petitions which challenged the appointment of Deshabandu Tennakoon as the Inspector General of Police (IGP). The petitions, which raise concerns over the constitutional validity of Tennakoon’s appointment, were taken up by a five-judge bench with proceedings set to continue in May. The petitioners seek a court declaration stating that the decision to appoint Tennakoon is invalid.

In a previous case, the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka found him guilty of torturing a suspect by rubbing menthol balm on his genitals. The court ordered him to pay LKR 500,000 in compensation to the victim, but the government at the time ignored calls for disciplinary action against him.

Despite his tainted record, Tennakoon was elevated to the highest rank in the police force, further deepening public mistrust in Sri Lanka’s law enforcement institutions. Tennakoon has been remanded till today (20) and the government is yet to announce what sort of disciplinary action awaits the suspended IGP. Perhaps this is a golden opportunity for the new government to prove its main election promise of apprehending corrupt individuals and bringing them to book. There is nothing that prevents the government from imposing maximum punishment on the suspended police chief.  

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