Court says no authority to order robe reinstatement for Gnanasara Thera

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.”

Veterinary treatment is continuing for a wild elephant that fell ill and collapsed at Sammanthurai in Ampara, with wildlife officials working around the clock to save the animal.

According to the Ministry of Environment, the male elephant, estimated to be between 25 and 30 years old, is receiving intensive treatment under a joint operation involving wildlife officials, veterinary teams, the Army and Police.

The Ministry said the elephant appeared to be well-built and in generally good physical condition but had an unusually swollen abdomen, with no visible external injuries.

Veterinarians initially suspect that the condition may have been caused by poisoning or a gastrointestinal blockage resulting from the consumption of indigestible material such as polythene.

The Eastern Regional Wildlife Veterinary Unit, Ampara Wildlife Range Office and Sammanthurai Beat Office are coordinating the treatment.

Essential antibiotics were administered on Thursday (22), while wildlife officials continue to closely monitor the elephant’s condition.

Heavy rainfall in the area has meanwhile caused flooding at the site where the elephant collapsed, hampering treatment efforts. Authorities are preparing the ground with sand to enable treatment to continue.

The Army has deployed 10 personnel to assist the Department of Wildlife Conservation, while Police are also supporting the operation.

The Ministry said wildlife officers were maintaining a round-the-clock presence at the site to monitor the elephant, ensure its safety and administer medication when required.

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.