Colombo, July 26: The Sri Lankan government, setting the stage for a showdown with the judiciary, announced on Friday that it would not abide by the Supreme Court’s restraining order issued on police chief Deshabandu Tennakoon.
Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena told Parliament that the Constitutional Council appointed Tennakoon and such appointments could not be examined by the court.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday restrained Tennakoon against nine fundamental rights petitions.
The court ordered Tennakoon to be replaced until the hearing of the case in mid-November.
Gunawardena said the principle of parliamentary supremacy must be upheld as Tennakoon can only be removed by the stipulated procedure.
Gunawardena’s statement comes after an urgent cabinet meeting summoned by President Ranil Wickremesinghe after the court’s suspension order.
He said that the appointment of an acting police chief did not arise as there was no vacancy in the position.
Gunawardena urged Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena to make a ruling to uphold parliamentary supremacy.
The fundamental rights petitions had questioned the procedure adopted by the Constitutional Council, which they alleged was flawed.
Speaker Abeywardena in response stood by his decision as the chair of the constitutional council to appoint Tennakoon, saying that such appointees could only be removed through special procedure.
The legislature and the judiciary standoff over the police chief came at an all-time high as the country’s election commission declared the presidential election date.
The polling is scheduled for September 21 after the last date for nomination filing is August 15. (PTI)
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