COLOMBO – The Bar Association of Sri Lanka has called for stringent ethical standards in the selection of the next Inspector General of Police (IGP), noting that it is of utmost importance the next permanent appointee should be an officer whose service in the police force is exemplary and free of any blemish and is able to restore public confidence in the Sri Lanka Police.
In a strongly worded statement issued on Wednesday (20), the BASL drew attention to a landmark Supreme Court decision delivered on December 14 against Acting IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon and three others and urged that no person who has violated fundamental rights or has criminal cases against should be appointed as police chief
In the case referred to, Justices S. Tharairaja, Kumudini Wickremesinghe and Priyantha Fernando faulted Tennakoon and three others for violating the fundamental rights of the petitioner who was detained at the Mirihana Police Station under the Acting IGP’s supervision, and ordered both compensation to the victim and disciplinary action against Tennakoon and others.
Calling on the authorities to disqualify any candidate for the IGP position who has a history of violating fundamental rights or is facing criminal charges or allegations of unlawful activity, the BASL statement called for transparency in the IGP appointment process and urged the government to follow procedures established by the Constitutional Council as per Article 41E of the Constitution.
The statement also highlighted the declining public trust in the Sri Lankan police due to issues like lack of independence, political interference, police brutality, and custodial deaths. It emphasized the importance of restoring public confidence for effective law enforcement and upholding the rule of law, and unequivocally condemned encounter killings and custodial deaths, calling them violations of the rule of law and fundamental rights.
The BASL also condemned the recent comments by the Public Security Minister, Tiran Alles, linking lawyers who opposed the Acting IGP’s appointment to drug traffickers. Emphasizing the right to legal representation as a cornerstone of the rule of law the Association said threats against lawyers were attacks on the entire legal profession.
-ENCL
Statement in Full:
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