September 15, Colombo (LNW): Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court has found that former Inspector General of Police Deshabandu Tennakoon and two other police officers violated the fundamental rights of Public Security Ministry Secretary Ravi Seneviratne and Criminal Investigation Department Deputy Inspector General Shani Abeysekara.
The ruling relates to investigations launched against the two senior officials in connection with the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks.
The court determined that the actions taken against Seneviratne and Abeysekara amounted to violations of their constitutionally guaranteed fundamental rights. It further held that the proceedings were conducted in a manner influenced by political considerations.
Along with former IGP Tennakoon, the court identified Chief Inspector Indika Silva and Deputy Inspector General Palitha Siriwardena as responsible for the rights violations.
The judgement places renewed attention on the conduct of investigations surrounding the Easter Sunday attacks, which have remained a highly sensitive issue in Sri Lanka amid prolonged demands for accountability and transparency.
The court’s determination also underscores the constitutional limits governing police investigations and the obligation of law-enforcement authorities to act independently and without political interference when exercising their official powers.
