SC sets Feb. 2026 date to hear petitions against Ranil’s Deshabandu IGP appointment

Tuesday, 9 September 2025 02:53 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Ranil Wickremesinghe

The Supreme Court fixed 12 February 2026 to take up petitions challenging the legality of former President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s appointment of Deshabandu Thennakoon as Inspector General of Police (IGP) yesterday.

Nine petitions have been filed, including by Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, the Young Journalists Association, and other parties.

In August, Parliament voted to remove Thennakoon from office, with 177 members in favour, none against, and one abstention. This was the first time a sitting IGP had been removed through a parliamentary resolution.

Deshabandu Thennakoon

The decision followed a Parliamentary Committee of Inquiry report finding Thennakoon guilty of 19 out of 23 charges, including serious misuse of authority and abuse of power. Thennakoon was arrested later in August over his alleged role in the 9 May 2022 attack on peaceful protesters at Galle Face. He is charged with failing to act despite clear opportunities to prevent the violence and had instructed officers not to intervene until his orders were given, while about 2,000 armed individuals attacked unarmed civilians. He was Western Province Senior DIG at the time.

Wickremesinghe appointed Deshabandu Tennakoon as the IGP in February 2024.