Deepening the debate over the role of Inspector General of Police Deshabandu Thennakoon, the Sri Lankan political stage is at a crossroads following the heated statement of the Prime Minister opposing the Supreme Court’s decision in Parliament.
In his speech, Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena said yesterday (26) that the Supreme Court’s decision to ban the Inspector General of Police from duty until November 11 is illegal and that the order will not be accepted.
Creating doubts in the house, he said that Parliament is superior to the Supreme Court and that the Supreme Court’s order regarding the position of the Inspector General of Police is null and void as the Supreme Court has no authority to make decisions regarding the appointment of the Constitutional Assembly, which is the most important body of Parliament.
The Prime Minister also emphasized that no one can fire an Inspector General of Police at will.
Accordingly, the Prime Minister stated that the post has not been vacant since Deshabandu Thennakoon is the IGP. He also pointed out that the President has no legal provision to appoint an Acting Inspector General of Police while blocking the duties of the Inspector General of Police.
The Prime Minister requested that Parliament revoke the order issued by the Supreme Court regarding the Inspector General’s suspension until November 11 and that the Speaker should review the rulings given by previous Speakers and intervene to protect the supremacy of Parliament by revoking that court order.
Following the controversial statement of the Prime Minister, the opposition raised concerns regarding his remarks.
In Sri Lanka, the three main pillars are the judiciary, legislature, and executive. These three pillars are considered equally important, and none of them is superior to the others.
