Functional DIG enters battle for DIG promotion

By Stanley Samarasinghe
The legal battle over the Deputy Inspector General’s promotion is still continuing before the Supreme Court.

The latest police officer who joined the promotion battle is functional DIG in war torn areas, W. F. U. Fernando.

According to his Fundamental Right Application he joined the police in the year 1986 as probationary ASP. There after he was promoted SP in 1992, SSP in 1997. His next promotion is DIG. At present he is functional DIG in war torn areas of Jaffna and Wanni.

He is in charge of over 7500 policeman in Wanni and holds a BSC degree and post graduate diploma lecturer in Information Technology, and is a trained member of the Police Officers.

He was summoned on 3 occasions for a promotion interview, but his application was not considered due to his age. He is 45 years old.

In his petition, the IGP, members of the Police Commission, Secretary to Police Commission, the Officer promoted to GID post in 2008, and the Attorney General had been cited as respondents. The Petitioner states that the criteria followed by the National Police Commission is entirely wrong and requests the issuing of an order and directing the Police Commission to promote him as DIG and declares that his Fundamental Right was violated by the Police Commission.