A Fundamental Rights (FR) petition has been filed at the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka seeking an order to instruct the President to appoint an Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP).
The FR petition was filed at the court today by Attorney-at-Law R. S. P. Ranasooriya. President Ranil Wickremesinghe and the Attorney General have been named as respondents.
According to media reports, the petitioner states that the interim order issued by the Supreme Court in July restraining Deshabandu Tennakoon from exercising the powers, functions, and responsibilities of the office of IGP, does not prevent the President from appointing an Acting IGP.
He further points out that the President who claimed he could not make any appointments due to contesting the upcoming election has now appointed Foreign Minister Ali Sabry as the Justice Minister.
The petitioner alleges that the President was violating the Constitution and was misusing the powers vested in him. Stating that the non-appointment of an Acting IGP was putting the security of the public at risk, the petitioner claims the President who had violated the Constitution was not suitable to contest the Presidential election.
Accordingly, the petition has requested the Supreme Court to rule that the President has violated the fundamental rights of the citizens and to also order him to appoint a suitable senior Police officer as the Acting IGP. (Newswire)