-By Ruwan Weerakoon
(Lanka-e-News -25.May.2026, 6.00 PM) The Attorney General’s Department has officially informed the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka that it expects to file formal indictments within one month against former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Deshabandu Tennakoon.
The impending charges stem from Tennakoon’s alleged failure to prevent the violent attacks on peaceful anti-government protesters at the "GotaGoGama" site in Galle Face on May 9, 2022.
The disclosure was made by Deputy Solicitor General (DSG) Suharshi Herath, who was appearing on behalf of the Attorney General. The announcement came during a Supreme Court hearing regarding a high-profile appeal filed by the AG's department.
The appeal challenges a previous ruling by the Court of Appeal, which had quashed an initial directive issued by the Attorney General. That original directive had instructed the police to formally name Deshabandu Tennakoon as a suspect in the criminal investigations surrounding the May 9 violence.
The Bench: The appeal was taken up before a three-judge Supreme Court bench comprising Justices A.H.M.D. Nawaz, Achala Wengappuli, and Sampath Wijeratne.
The Directive: The state confirmed that, despite previous appellate roadblocks, it is moving forward with direct criminal indictments within a 30-day window.
Next Hearing: The Supreme Court has officially scheduled the next hearing for the appeal on September 2.
May 9, 2022: A turning point in Sri Lanka's economic and political crisis. Pro-government mobs attacked peaceful demonstrators camped at Galle Face Green, leading to widespread nationwide unrest, retaliatory violence, and the eventual resignation of key political figures.
At the time of the incident, Deshabandu Tennakoon served as the Senior Deputy Inspector General (SDIG) of the Western Province, placing the Galle Face site directly under his jurisdictional command. Critics and legal activists have long argued that top police brass willfully neglected their duty to maintain law and order, allowing the armed mobs to breach the protest site and assault civilians.
This upcoming indictment marks a significant development in holding
High-ranking law enforcement officials are legally accountable for the lapses in security during the 2022 Aragalaya (Struggle) movement.
Deshabandu Tennakoon’s career is one of the most polarizing institutional histories in modern Sri Lankan law enforcement. Over nearly three decades, his trajectory shifted from rapid advancement through high-profile operational commands to becoming the focal point of unprecedented constitutional and criminal litigation.
1. Entry and Career Ascent (1998–2019)
Tennakoon joined the Sri Lanka Police Department in 1998 as a Direct Entry Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP). Recognized for his operational drive, he rose steadily through the ranks:
Early Commands: Served in various field operational roles across regional divisions, including the North and East during critical security periods.
Western Province Focus: His career became heavily centered on the Western Province, particularly within Colombo, where he oversaw major anti-narcotics sweeps, organized crime suppression units, and high-visibility urban policing strategies.
Promotion to SDIG: By late 2019, he was elevated to Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police (SDIG) in charge of the Western Province, historically considered the most powerful regional command in the country due to its concentration of political, economic, and institutional infrastructure.
2. The Catalyst: The 2022 Aragalaya and May 9 Crisis
His tenure as SDIG of the Western Province placed him at the center of the 2022 political crisis (Aragalaya).
On May 9, 2022, a pro-government mob gathered at Temple Trees and marched directly into the peaceful protest sites of "MainaGoGama" and "GotaGoGama" at Galle Face Green, severely assaulting demonstrators and destroying structures.
The Failure to Intervene: As the regional commander, Tennakoon was heavily criticized for an apparent lack of preventative action. Video footage and subsequent institutional inquiries suggested that police lines held back rather than dispersing the armed mob before they reached the civilians.
Public Fallout: In the immediate aftermath of the attacks, an angry crowd spotted Tennakoon near Perahera Mawatha in Colombo, resulting in a physical assault on him before he was rescued by military personnel.
Legal Scrutiny Begins: The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) and the Attorney General’s Department initiated separate inquiries into his specific role, directives, and potential dereliction of duty on that day.
3. Controversial Appointment as IGP (2023–2024)
Despite ongoing fundamental rights petitions and criminal investigations regarding the May 9 lapses, political backing cleared his path toward executive leadership of the force.
November 2023: Appointed as Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP) following the retirement of C.D. Wickramaratne.
February 2024: Formally confirmed as the permanent 36th IGP of Sri Lanka by President Ranil Wickremesinghe.
The Constitutional Standoff
His confirmation triggered immediate systemic friction. The Constitutional Council (CC) split on his approval, with voting anomalies sparking widespread criticism from opposition lawmakers, the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL), and civil society groups. Critics argued that appointing an official facing active human rights and criminal probes undermined the integrity of the police department.
4. Judicial Restraint and Ouster (July 2024)
The mounting legal challenges culminated in a landmark decision by the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka on July 24, 2024.
The Interim Order: Reviewing multiple Fundamental Rights (FR) petitions filed by political figures, religious leaders, and activists, the Supreme Court issued an interim order restraining Deshabandu Tennakoon from performing the duties and exercising the powers of the office of IGP.
Institutional Impact: This ruling effectively removed him from active operational control of the police force, marking a rare historical instance where the judiciary directly halted an executive appointment to the country's highest law enforcement office.
Former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Deshabandu Tennakoon has faced a series of severe criminal, constitutional, and human rights allegations over his career. These allegations ultimately led to his historic suspension by the Supreme Court, a formal removal from office by Parliament, and recent criminal prosecution.
The primary legal and institutional allegations against him are structured below:
1. Failure to Prevent the Galle Face Attacks (May 2022)
The Allegation: Dereliction of duty and failure to maintain law and order.
Context: During the 2022 Aragalaya protests, Tennakoon was the Senior Deputy Inspector General (SDIG) of the Western Province. He was accused of failing to take preventative operational action when a pro-government mob marched from Temple Trees and violently assaulted peaceful demonstrators at the "GotaGoGama" site at Galle Face Green on May 9, 2022.
Current Status: The Attorney General’s Department officially informed the Supreme Court that it is moving forward to file direct criminal indictments against Tennakoon for his alleged failure to prevent these attacks.
2. Supreme Court Torture Conviction (December 2023)
The Allegation: Torture, arbitrary arrest, and illegal detention of a suspect.
Context: In a landmark ruling on December 14, 2023, a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka found Tennakoon and two subordinates personally guilty of violating the fundamental rights of a citizen (Weheragedara Ranjith Sumangala).
The Incident: The case dated back to 2011, when Tennakoon was a Superintendent of Police (SP) in Nugegoda. The victim was arrested on suspicion of theft and subjected to severe physical torture. The Supreme Court noted that Tennakoon oversaw the investigation, and the victim testified that Tennakoon was personally involved in the abuse.
Outcome: The court ordered Tennakoon to pay compensation to the victim out of his own personal funds and directed the National Police Commission to take disciplinary action.
3. The Weligama Shooting and Conspiracy to Murder (2023–2025)
The Allegation: Conspiracy to commit murder and executing an unauthorized operation.
Context: In December 2023, an operation conducted by the Colombo Crime Division (CCD) led to a fatal shooting near a hotel in Weligama, Matara, resulting in the death of a fellow police officer.
Judicial Action: The Matara Magistrate’s Court subsequently deemed the drug-raid operation unauthorized and accused Tennakoon of illegally authorizing it in violation of internal regulations.
Warrant and Arrest: On February 27, 2025, the court issued an open arrest warrant and a travel ban against Tennakoon and eight other officers on charges of conspiracy to commit murder. After evading law enforcement for over a fortnight, Tennakoon surrendered to the Matara Magistrate's Court in March 2025 and was remanded in custody.
4. Institutional and Constitutional Abuse of Power
The Allegation: Gross abuse of power and serious misuse of authority.
Context: Following public outcry over his appointment as permanent IGP in February 2024 despite his active torture conviction, multiple fundamental rights petitions were filed against him. In July 2024, the Supreme Court issued an interim order restraining him from exercising the powers of the IGP.
Parliamentary Ouster: In March 2025, a parliamentary motion signed by 115 MPs called for an official inquiry into his conduct. A Committee of Inquiry, chaired by a retired Supreme Court judge, investigated 23 specific charges of systemic misconduct against Tennakoon. He was found guilty of 19 of those charges.
Outcome: On August 5, 2025, the Parliament of Sri Lanka voted overwhelmingly (177 votes in favor, none against) to officially remove him from the office of Inspector General of Police under the Removal of Officers (Procedure) Act.
allegations and criticisms against former police officer Deshabandu Tennakoon..
Summary of Allegations Against Deshabandu Tennakoon;
This document outlines key allegations, controversies, and political connections associated with Deshabandu Tennakoon during his career in the Sri Lankan Police service.
While serving as the Superintendent of Police (SP) for the Nugegoda Division, an eyewitness allegedly placed Tennakoon in the vehicular convoy of Duminda Silva on the day of the shootout that resulted in the death of politician Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra. Critics argue that this points to a failure to prevent the clash or investigate the suspects impartially.
2. Attack on Lanka-e-News
Tennakoon has faced public allegations of aiding and abetting the individuals responsible for the arson attack on the offices of the independent media website Lanka e-News. Tennakoon was also publicly accused of failing to conduct police investigations into the arson. He was an ASP in charge of the Mirihana SSP office, which also covered the Malabe area where the Lanka e News office was located at the time.
3. Alleged Contacts with Narcotics Traffickers;
Allegations persist regarding Tennakoon’s suspected interactions with high-profile drug dealers, including an alleged meeting with a prominent trafficker from Dehiwela while in Dubai. Critics argue that during his leadership, the operations and efficacy of the Police Narcotic Bureau (PNB) were severely weakened or paralyzed.
4. Negligence Surrounding the 2019 Easter Sunday Attacks;
During the April 21, 2019, Easter Sunday suicide bombings, Tennakoon was accused of gross negligence. Despite advanced intelligence warnings regarding a threat to St. Sebastian’s Church in Katuwapitiya, he allegedly failed to instruct his subordinate officers to deploy adequate security measures. Furthermore, it is alleged that he deactivated his mobile phone on the day of the attack while staying at a hotel in Negombo (referred to as the "Malu Malu" or a similar establishment), rendering himself unreachable during a national crisis.
5. Weapon Loss Early in Career;
Early in his career, upon assuming duties as an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Tennakoon reportedly lost his officially issued service revolver under controversial or negligent circumstances.
6. Politically Motivated Investigations (The Shani Abeysekara Case);
Under the administration of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Tennakoon was allegedly instructed to fabricate criminal charges against the former Director of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), SSP Shani Abeysekara. This resulted in Abeysekara being remanded at the Mahara Prison for approximately 10 months, an action widely condemned by rights groups as political retaliation.
7. The Sri Lanka President’s House Cash Recovery:
Following the May 2022 protests, a large sum of cash (approx. LKR 17.8 million) was recovered by protestors from the President’s House. Tennakoon was accused by Colombo's Chief Magistrate of attempting to bypass court jurisdiction by ordering his subordinates to hand the money over to a government minister rather than presenting it directly to the court.
The career advancement of Deshabandu Tennakoon, despite these numerous controversies, has been widely attributed to strong political patronage spanning multiple political factions:
The Rajapaksa Faction: Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the broader Rajapaksa family allegedly favored Tennakoon, using his position within the police force to execute politically sensitive tasks.
United National Party (UNP) & Allies: Senior political figures, including Wajira Abeywardana, Sagala Ratnayaka, and former Public Security Minister Tiran Alles, have been accused of providing political cover and backing to Tennakoon, shielding him from rigorous disciplinary or criminal investigations.
Conclusion: Critics and civil society groups maintain that the depth of these allegations warrants a comprehensive, independent criminal investigation into Tennakoon's conduct throughout his tenure in the police service.
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by (2026-05-25 20:00:51)
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