By Saman Indrajith
Opposition parties yesterday said Deshabandu Tennakoon had been appointed IGP in violation of the Constitution.
SLPP dissident MP Prof. GL Peiris addressing the media at the Opposition Leader’s Office in Colombo said the Supreme Court had found Tennakoon guilty of torturing people and ordered to pay Rs 500,000 as compensation to the victim.
How can such a person be appointed to the IGP post?” he asked.
Prof Peiris said that the due process had not been followed in the appointment of Tennakoon as IGP. As per the Constitutional provisions, the IGP should be appointed by the President with the concurrence of the Constitutional Council. The approval of the CC is mandatory and there was no way to appoint an IGP without that. There had to be at least five votes in the CC for the appointment. There were four votes approving the appointment. Two members had opposed it. The CC members representing the civil organisations abstained. The fifth vote was given by the Speaker. What he did was wrong. Article 41 E states that the Speaker shall not have an original vote, but in the event of an equality of votes on any question for decision at any meeting of the Council, the Speaker shall have a casting vote. There was no such event of equality of votes with regard to approving the name of Tennakoon. As such the Speaker has violated the Constitution,” Prof Peiris argued.
Not only the Speaker but also the Secretary of the CC had violated the Constitution by informing the President that the CC had approved Tennakoon’s name, Prof Peiris said.
SJB General Secretary MP Ranjith Madduma Bandara said that both the incumbent President and the Speaker of Parliament had acted against the law in giving the IGP post to Deshabandu.
“Tennakoon was appointed IGP post after the Supreme …read more
Source:: The Island