Parliament passes resolution to remove IGP Tennakoon

The resolution to remove Inspector General of Police (IGP) Deshabandu Tennakoon from office was passed in the Sri Lankan Parliament this evening (August 5) with an overwhelming majority of 177 votes in favour and none against. MP Ramanathan Archchuna abstained from voting.

The vote took place after a full-day debate on the resolution, which was brought under Section 17 of the Removal of Officers (Procedure) Act No. 5 of 2002.

The debate began in the morning after Speaker of Parliament Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne presented the motion. Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs Ananda Wijepala opened the debate on behalf of the government.

Parliament debated the matter until 4:00 PM before the vote was taken. The resolution required only a simple majority of 113 votes to pass but received unanimous support from those who voted.

The resolution follows the findings of a Special Investigation Committee, whose report was tabled in Parliament by the Speaker on July 22, 2025. The committee unanimously found Tennakoon guilty of the charges made against him.

On the same day, the Speaker confirmed he had received the full report of the Committee of Inquiry, which recommended Tennakoon’s removal. This marks the first time in Sri Lanka’s constitutional process that such a committee has recommended removing a sitting IGP.

The report described a serious incident at the W15 Hotel in Pelena, Weligama, on December 31, 2023. It stated that, at the request of then IGP Tennakoon, a team led by Chief Inspector Anselm de Silva went to the hotel and opened fire using a T56 police weapon. The shooting resulted in the death of a police officer from the Colombo Crime Division.

According to the report, police officers and state resources were used unlawfully. A police van was used for the illegal shooting, damage was caused to private property, and the hotel owner, an unarmed citizen, was intimidated. The committee stated that such actions were unacceptable for the head of the police force and that no citizen would want a police chief who engaged in such conduct to remain in office.

The Committee of Inquiry, appointed to investigate allegations of gross abuse of power against Tennakoon, found him guilty under Section 8(2) of the Removal of Officers (Procedure) Act. The findings were unanimous.

Following the Speaker’s announcement that the resolution has been approved, the President is now expected to nominate a new candidate for the post of IGP to the Constitutional Council.