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MONETABRIEF —Strictures issued against Inspector-General of Police Priyantha Weerasooriya by Gampaha Magistrate Bandula Gunaratne have underscored the sharp practices allegedly used by local law-enforcement authorities to frame suspects — a tactic that is widely known but rarely addressed by the criminal justice system.

Gampaha Magistrate Bandula Gunaratne may have spoken for the silent majority when he pulled up the Inspector-General of Police over his alleged failure to issue fresh instructions to his subordinates to clean up their act, particularly in drug-related cases.

At the root of the magistrate’s controversial remarks was the Gampaha Anti-Narcotics Unit’s prosecution of the same suspect twice on the same day for the same offence, apparently in an attempt to inflate the number of drug-related prosecutions.

The magistrate had ordered three police officers of the Anti-Narcotics Unit and the Police Department to pay Rs. 200,000 in compensation to a suspect who had been wrongfully charged.

He had also ordered the IGP to issue a circular informing all officers under his command that proceedings should not be instituted without justification against innocent members of the public.

Alleging that Weerasooriya had failed to comply with the order, the magistrate told the court on Wednesday that he was reporting the police chief to the Court of Appeal for contempt proceedings.

The Officer-in-Charge of the Anti-Narcotics Unit had instituted proceedings against Chamara Chathuranga Marasinghe on a charge of possessing 130 milligrams of “ice” and 500 milligrams of heroin on 6 May 2026. He pleaded guilty and was fined. He was then charged under another case number on the same day for the same offence.

After the magistrate pointed out that there were two prosecutions, the police sought to withdraw the second case, but the matter was escalated. The magistrate took exception to the IGP’s failure to issue clear instructions to his officers on the handling of prosecutions.

Sri Lanka’s police force has long been accused of introducing small quantities of narcotics, weapons or explosives in order to frame suspects and have them prosecuted and, in some cases, wrongfully convicted.

The demand for an independent police commission to exercise disciplinary authority over the 85,000-strong police force was fuelled in part by the illegal acts of corrupt police officers.

Official sources said the latest strictures against the IGP had been discussed by the independent National Police Commission (NPC), which felt that the magistrate may have overstepped his authority.

While there has been justifiable criticism of the police, questions have also been raised as to whether the magistrate had the power to report the IGP for contempt.

“The NPC had several issues with IGP Weerasooriya because he had ignored some orders of the Commission,” a source close to the outgoing NPC said. “But in this case, the NPC has sided with him.”

Colombo High Court Judge Buddhika C. Ragala on Friday observed that the court had no authority to order the reinstatement of the robe of Bodu Bala Sena General Secretary Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera, which was removed by prison officials.

The observation was made when the case against Gnanasara Thera over alleged derogatory remarks concerning Islam was taken up before the High Court.

Appearing for the accused, Senior Counsel Asoka Weerasooriya said the Kotte Mahanayake Thera had made a written request to prison authorities seeking the ceremonial reinstatement of the robe in accordance with Buddhist traditions without violating prison regulations. However, the authorities had not responded to the request.

Weerasooriya said the request was reasonable from the perspective of Buddhist religious practices and stressed that his client was not an organised criminal.

The Judge noted that prison authorities had informed court that Gnanasara Thera would be produced via electronic means due to tensions arising from the incident and concerns over possible disturbances.

The Thera was accordingly produced through a WhatsApp video call after the required electronic equipment could not be obtained.

Questioning the relief sought by the defence, Judge Ragala said the court could not issue an order regarding the reinstatement of the robe. He also noted that granting such relief could have wider implications for other Buddhist monks serving prison sentences.

The court directed the parties to make submissions at the next hearing on the possibility of reaching a plea agreement under the Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Act No. 50 of 2024.

The case was fixed for January 29.

The Attorney General had filed the case under the Penal Code, alleging that remarks made by Gnanasara Thera concerning the Holy Quran had insulted Islam.

Senior Counsel Weerasooriya, with counsels Sanjay Marabe and Pasan Karunarathna, appeared for the accused, while State Counsel Supun Ranasinghe represented the Attorney General.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has said the Ministry of Finance has finalised plans to close 34 state institutions as part of the Government’s efforts to reduce public expenditure and ease the financial burden on the State.

Addressing the annual general meeting of the Government Surveyors’ Association in Battaramulla on Friday (23), the President said the cost of maintaining public services had risen significantly, making it necessary to review the structure and operations of state institutions.

He said the Government had also decided to merge several institutions to improve efficiency and eliminate unnecessary expenditure.

According to Dissanayake, a special committee has been appointed to oversee and implement the planned closures and restructuring.

He said many of the institutions concerned had been established under circumstances that had since changed considerably. In several sectors where the State had once been the sole service provider, a strong private sector had subsequently emerged.

The President said the Government must therefore assess whether certain services should continue to be provided directly by the State or whether they could be delivered more cost-effectively by private-sector operators.

He also stressed the need to streamline public-sector recruitment and improve administrative efficiency.

Dissanayake said the broader objective was to build a professional and attractive public service capable of addressing systemic shortcomings while ensuring the effective use of public funds.