Triangular tussle between three top most police officers is to emerge in filling the Inspector General of Police (IGP) vacancy following the retirement of f IGP Pujith Jayasundara,on March 15 who is currently on compulsory leave over investigations on the Easter terror attacks.
Three Senior Deputy Inspector General’s (DIG) are vying for the post of Inspector General of Police (IGP) as IGP Pujith Jayasundara will turn sixty years of age on March 15.
It will be a tough task in selecting the next Police Chief in the eve of general election, informed sources said. .
Accordingly, Senior DIG Chandana Wickremaratne the Acting IGP is first in line according to seniority.
The next trio in line to step into the contest is Senior DIG Lalith Jayasinghe, who is currently under suspension and Senior DIGs Abeysiri Gunawardena, Nandana Munasinghe.
Frank Fernando, Ravi Wijegunawardena, Roshan Fernando, Nilantha Jayawardena,Lalith Pathinayaka and Deshabandu Thennakoon are aalso possible contenders next in line according to seniority.
In the previous tassel for the IGP post Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police Chandana Wickremaratne was appointed as the Acting Inspector General of Police in January 2019 as Pujith Jayasundara had been sent o compulsory leave over Ester Terror allegations. .
The Constitutional Council’s selection of new IGP Pujith Jayasundara through a secret ballot carried out in the absence of two of the three civil society representatives came under criticism at that time as a "historic error."
An activist group known as Decent Lanka 2015 has accused the CC chaired by Speaker Karu Jayasuriya of "bluffing" the people at that time.
Jayasuriya did not vote when the Council met in parliament to decide a nominee to be the new IGP from among three candidates — S. M. Wickramasinghe, Pujith Jayasundara and Chandana Wickramaratne.
Jayasundara, 56, was chosen through a secret ballot in sharp contrast to the procedure adopted in choosing the Attorney General by the same Council.
(LI)