A Writ application has been filed by Colombo Archbishop Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith in the Court of Appeal seeking relief against the IGP and the Public Security Ministry Secretary for non-implementation of certain recommendations made by the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) appointed to investigate into and make recommendations on the Easter Sunday terror attacks that took place on April 21, 2019.
The petition cited IGP C.D Wickramaratne, Secretary to the Ministry of Public Security S. Hettiarachchi, SDIG Deshabandu Thennakoon, SSP Sisila Kumara and Chief Inspector Chaminda Nawaratne as respondents.
The petition stated that the PCoI made certain findings against key individuals who held positions of power and responsibility including several Police Officers such as now Senior DIG Deshabandu Thennakoon and Commission also recommended conducting disciplinary inquiries against them for their negligence and failure in preventing the Easter Sunday bomb attacks.
The petition also seeks an order directing the respondents to implement the recommendations of the Commission against the authorities who at the time were acting in key positions and failing to prevent such attacks, as stated in the final report of the Commission.
The petition says that a special Presidential Commission headed by Supreme Court Justice Janak de Silva was appointed to investigate the Easter attacks and a number of volumes containing findings and recommendations were handed over to the President.
According to the commission’s final report, the petition said that disciplinary action has been recommended against the police officers who failed to prevent this brutal attack and acted carelessly.
It is also mentioned in the petition that police officers including SDIG Deshbandu Tennakoon are among them.
However, the petition states that no disciplinary action has been taken against them so far.
Petitioner Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith said that while they did not receive the remaining 87 volumes of the final report of the PCoI and those volumes have been presented to Parliament but have not been presented to the public.
It’s further says that although the Speaker’s office was requested to provide those volumes, it was informed by that office on June 22 that it could not be provided.
It is also mentioned in the petition that those are not intended to be issued for the use of the members of parliament, but for the use of the common people, and that by not giving them, parliamentary privileges are violated.
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