Court dismisses IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon’s petition, orders immediate arrest

The Court of Appeal today (March 17) dismissed a writ petition filed by Inspector General of Police (IGP) Deshabandu Tennakoon, who sought an interim injunction to prevent his arrest in connection with the Weligama hotel shooting incident.

The petition challenged an arrest warrant issued by the Matara Magistrate’s Court regarding the shooting at the W15 Hotel in Weligama, Matara, on December 31, 2023, which resulted in the death of a police officer.

Delivering the verdict, the Court of Appeal’s two-judge bench, presided over by Acting President of the Court of Appeal Justice Mohamed Laffar Tahir and Justice Sarath Dissanayake, ordered the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to immediately arrest Deshabandu Tennakoon and present him before the court.

The Court further directed the police to execute the arrest warrant in accordance with the law. Additionally, the writ petition was dismissed with costs, without further examination.

The case was taken up by the Court of Appeal on March 12, 2025, following Tennakoon’s plea to stay the arrest warrant issued by the Matara Magistrate’s Court.

The decision on the matter was set for today (March 17).

---

---