Court of Appeal dismisses Ex-IGP Deshabandu’s petition

The Court of Appeal has dismissed the writ petition filed by former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Deshabandu Tennakoon, seeking an interim injunction to prevent the execution of the arrest order issued by the Matara Magistrate’s Court against him in connection with the shooting incident that took place in Weligama, Matara, in 2023.

Subsequently, the Appeals Court has ordered the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to take immediate steps to arrest Deshabandu Tennakoon and present him before the court.

The Court of Appeal bench, comprising Acting President of the Court of Appeal Mohamed Lafar Tahir and Justice Sarath Dissanayake, announced the verdict this morning (17), stating that the relevant petition will be dismissed without a hearing.

The petition filed by Tennakoon before the Court of Appeal, seeking an order to prevent his arrest, was taken up for consideration on March 12. 

His legal representatives had requested an interim injunction to stay the arrest warrant issued by the Matara Magistrate’s Court.

Meanwhile, this morning, Tennakoon’s legal representative has submitted a motion to the Court of Appeal in relation to the petition. The motion requests permission to submit additional documents related to the case.

The motion was filed ahead of the appeal decision regarding Deshabandu’s writ petition.

Additionally, an agreement has been reached between the Attorney General (AG) and the legal counsel of the suspects implicated in the 2023 shooting incident near a hotel in Weligama. In this regard, the AG issued a special notice yesterday (16) regarding the order to arrest former IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon and six other suspects in connection with the incident.

As per the agreement, the AG has directed the CID not to arrest the Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of the Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) and five other accused individuals, excluding former IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon, who is wanted in connection with the incident and is currently absconding.

The Matara Magistrate’s Court had ordered the arrest of eight former officers of the Colombo Crimes Division (CCD), including former IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon, and named them as suspects in the shooting incident that occurred in front of the W15 Hotel in the Pelena area of Weligama, Matara, on December 31, 2023.

Following this, the CID was instructed to arrest and present the eight individuals, including former Acting IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon, before the court.

Meanwhile, police investigations are ongoing to locate Tennakoon, who is currently evading arrest.