SC quashes recommendations by Upali Abeyratne Commission

The Supreme Court issued an order yesterday nullifying the implementation of the recommendations made by the Presidential Commission of Inquiry on Political Victimisation led by retired Supreme Court Justice Upali Abeyratne. 

The order was issued by the Apex Court after considering the petitions filed by several petitioners including Senior DIG Ravi Seneviratne, retired High Court Judge Padmini Ranawaka, Former Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy Travis Sinniah, SSP Shani Abeysekera, Senior Counsel Upul Jayasuriya and Sandhya Ekneligoda against the three-member PCoI appointed by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in January 2020,

The petitions were heard by a three-judge bench comprising Justices Vijith Malalgoda, Achala Wengappuli, and Arjuna Obeysekera. In their verdict, the justices mandated that the Government compensate the petitioners by covering court fees totalling Rs. 150 000 each.

The controversial three-member Presidential Commission of Inquiry was appointed by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in January 2020 to investigate alleged political victimizations that occurred between 2015 and 2019.

The Commission comprised retired Supreme Court Judge Upali Abeyratne, retired Court of Appeal Judge Daya Chandrasiri Jayatilake, and retired IGP Chandra Fernando. They were tasked with examining political victimisation and related issues stemming from investigations carried out by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption, the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID), the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), and the Special Investigation Unit of the Police between 8 January 2015, and 16 November 2019.

Additionally, the Commission looked into cases involving politically victimised public officers during the specified period. Among those probed by the Commission were President Ranil Wickremesinghe and National People’s Power (NPP) leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake. 

In March this year, the Court of Appeals also issued a writ order quashing the recommendations and findings of the PCoI.  The writ order quashed the findings by the Commission against retired SSP Shani Abeysekera, former Army Commander Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka, Attorney-at-Law J.C. Weliamuna and Dr. Jayampathy Wicremaratne.