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New Police Chief: CC again gets three to choose from
View(s):The Constitutional Council will meet at 3 p.m. on April 18 to discuss matters relating to the appointment of a new Inspector General of Police. This is after the Presidential Secretariat sent to it, for the second time, the names of three candidates. Among them are Senior DIGs S.M. Wickremesinghe and Pujith Jayasundera, who are both from the same batch. The third is SDIG Chandana Wickremeratne, who is eight months junior to the other two. However, his appointment as IGP would give him a tenure of eight years.
Earlier, President Maithripala Sirisena sent three names when the CC asked him to nominate a person for the post of Attorney General. Thereafter, he picked on Jayantha Jayasuriya. An early meeting of the CC was found difficult because of the National New Year holidays and the absence from Sri Lanka of Opposition Leader Rajavarothayam Sampanthan.
Originally the appointment of a new IGP was due on or before April 10. This was after the retirement of N.K. Illangakoon. Now, SDIG S.M. Wickremesinghe will function as acting IGP until a new appointment is made. It is not immediately clear whether the CC would pick one of the three nominees selected by the President or decide on its own. If the CC makes the selection, it would have to seek the approval of the President thereafter.