Writ petition against Deshabandu Tennekoon fixed for support

A writ petition filed by a lawyer seeking an order directing the CID to arrest Western Province Senior DIG Deshabandu Tennakoon for his failure to prevent attacks on peaceful protesters at Galle Face was today fixed for support by the Court of Appeal. The Court of Appeal's two-judge bench, comprising Justices Sobhitha Rajakaruna and Dhammika Ganepola, fixed the petition to be taken up for support on December 16. Attorney-at-law Ramalingam Ranjan filed this petition, citing Attorney General Sanjay Rajaratnam, Senior DIG Deshabandu Tennakoon, IGP Chandana Wickremaratne, and CID Director Kavinda Piyasekera as respondents. The petitioner is further seeking an order in the nature of a Writ of Mandamus to compel the Attorney General and police to make Deshabandu Tennakoon a suspect in the case at the Colombo Magistrate's Court relating to the attacks on peaceful protesters at Galle Face. The petitioner claimed that Deshabandu Tennakoon, who was supposed to stop the unruly marchers from breaking out from the Temple Trees, had failed to prevent them from entering "MinaGoGama" and "GotaGoGama" and, in contrast, aided and abetted the said attacks on the peaceful protestors. The petitioner also claimed that the Colombo Fort Magistrate had repeatedly reminded the CID of its reluctance and prolonged delay in carrying out its duties diligently. The Magistrate has observed that Deshabandu Tennakoon was having an intimate conversation with Parliamentarian Sanath Nishantha, who was the fifth suspect at the time the attack took place,