By unusuma.lk on (LK time)
The Court of Appeal has rejected the writ petition submitted by ex-Inspector General of Police (IGP) Deshabandu Tennakoon, requesting an urgent injunction to prevent the execution of the detention order issued by the Matara Magistrate’s Court against him regarding the gunfire incident that occurred in Weligama, Matara, in 2023.
Following this, the Appeals Court has instructed the Criminal Inquiry Department (CID) to take prompt action to arrest Deshabandu Tennakoon and bring him before the judiciary.
The Court of Appeal bench, consisting of Acting President of the Court of Appeal M.L. Tahir and Justice S.B. Dissanayake, announced the decision this morning (17), stating that the writ petition will be dismissed without a trial.
The petition submitted by Tennakoon before the Court of Appeal, pleading for an order to prevent his custody, was taken up for review on March 12.
His legal team had requested an interim injunction to halt the arrest directive issued by the Matara Magistrate’s Court.
Meanwhile, this morning, Tennakoon’s attorney has submitted a request to the Court of Appeal regarding the petition. The submission asks permission to include additional evidence related to the case.
The request was filed prior to the appeal decision concerning Deshabandu’s legal petition.
Additionally, an understanding has been reached between the Attorney General (AG) and the defense counsel of the suspects involved in the 2023 gunfire incident near a resort in Weligama. In this regard, the AG issued a special statement yesterday (16) about the order to arrest ex-IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon and six other defendants in connection with the case.
As per the decision, the AG has instructed the CID not to detain the Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of the Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) and five other individuals, excluding ex-IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon, who is sought in relation to the incident and is currently missing.
The Matara Magistrate’s Court had ordered the arrest of eight former CCD personnel, including ex-IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon, and named them as accused in the shooting incident that took place in front of the W15 Resort in the Pelena area of Weligama, Matara, on December 31, 2023.
Following this, the CID was directed to arrest and present the eight individuals, including ex-Acting IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon, before the courtroom.
Meanwhile, police inquiries are ongoing to locate Tennakoon, who is currently avoiding arrest.
