The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka has issued an Interim Injunction preventing the implementation of Community Advisory Committees (CAC) which were appointed to conduct government development projects targeting rural areas.
The Community Advisory Committees were established on a directive of President Ranil Wickremesinghe to monitor development projects and programmes implemented in rural areas.
Provisions of Rs 10 million each were announced to be allocated to implement urgent and necessary development programmes identified by the CACs in the respective Local Government jurisdiction.
At the time, it was reported that the Cabinet decided to establish CACs to ensure that the programmes required urgently at the Local Government level, such as the “Urumaya” Land Ownership Programme, the Urban Home Ownership Programme, the “Kandukara Dasakaya” Development Programme, the Agriculture Modernization Programme and the Rice Distribution Programme, are implemented efficiently.
However, concerns were raised by several parties on the establishment of CACs with many alleging that the government was implementing such an initiative to seek benefit for the upcoming Presidential Election.
Executive Director of the Institute of Democratic Reforms and Electoral Studies (IRES) Manjula Gajanayake said the government’s move is aimed at further politicising development activities at the grassroots.
The government’s decision to establish Community Advisory Committees was, therefore, challenged at the Supreme Court via a petition filed by the People’s Action for Free & Fair Elections (PAFFREL).
In its petition, PAFFREL highlighted a letter sent by the Election Commission to the President’s Secretary, calling for heads of state institutions to ensure that state resources are not allocated for propaganda activities of candidates who have submitted nominations for the local government election.
Taking into consideration PAFFREL’s request to direct officials, including the Secretary to the Ministry of Finance, to comply with these directives, the Supreme Court today issued an interim order preventing the implementation of Community Advisory Committees.
Earlier today, the Supreme Court also intervened in another decision of President Ranil Wickremesinghe by issuing an interim order preventing Deshabandu Tennakoon from performing duties in the post of Inspector General of Police (IGP).
The court also ordered the President to name a suitable person for the post, during the period of the interim order being enforced against Tennakoon.
The court issued the order after taking up for consideration nine petitions that had been filed by several parties, including Archbishop Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, challenging the President’s decision to appoint Tennakoon as the IGP. (Newswire)