In a special statement today, the Prime Minister clarified that the President does not have the authority to appoint an Acting Inspector General of Police. Following this, Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena announced that an Acting Police Commissioner will not be appointed as anticipated by the Supreme Court. He emphasized that Deshbandu Tennakoon, although suspended, still holds the position of Inspector General of Police, leaving the post not vacant.
Prime Minister Gunawardena asserted that only Parliament has the jurisdiction to question the decisions of the Constitutional Council. He stated that no other body, including the Supreme Court, can challenge its decisions. The Prime Minister also stressed that the Supreme Court cannot overturn the Constitutional Council’s decision to appoint the current Prime Minister and that this decision must be upheld.
Furthermore, Gunawardena declared that there is no legal basis for the injunction issued by the Supreme Court, and Parliament cannot accept what he described as an “illegal order” without a valid legal foundation.