Former Commissioner of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka, Ambika Satkunanathan, has questioned Illankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK) MP Sivagnanam Shritharan’s move to vote in favour of appointing a serving army officer as Auditor General

“Shritharan of ITAK, a member of the Constitutional Council, voted in favour of appointing serving army officer Rajasinghe as Auditor General. If this is true, MP Shritharan must explain to the Tamil people the reason for his vote,” Ambika Satkunanathan said in a post on ‘X’.

She further said that as a representative of the Tamil ppl, and if the news report was true, voting for a serving army officer calls into question everything the MP has publicly said about militarization and its adverse impact on the rights of Tamils. 

“This appointment would have been detrimental to the country because it would have undermined the independence of the office of Auditor General and good governance, and entrenched militarization. Previous AGs found financial waste, mismanagement and possible corruption by the Army. In light of these facts, why would you vote for this person? ‘System change’, this is not,” she added. 

The former Commissioner of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka raised concerns after it was reported that the Constitutional Council (CC) had rejected O.R. Rajasinghe’s name submitted by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to take over as the country’s next Auditor General.

The Council’s decision marks the fourth time in eight months that nominees put forward by the President to serve as Auditor General, either in a permanent or acting capacity, have been rejected.

Rajasinghe is a serving officer of the Sri Lanka Army and a member of the Army’s Audit Division. His name had been submitted to the CC by Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya during its meeting held last Wednesday. During the CC meeting, chaired by Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne, only four members voted in support of the President’s nominee, while five voted against.

All three civil society members, along with Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa and Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Ajith P. Perera, voted against the nominee. Prime Minister Amarasuriya and House Leader Bimal Rathnayake, along with MPs M. Athambawa and S. Shritharan, voted for the nominee. (Newswire)

#AuditorGeneral

According to the Sunday Times MP @ImShritharan of ITAK, a member of Constitutional Council, voted in favour of appointing serving army officer Ranasinghe as Auditor General. If this is true, MP Shritharan must explain to the Tamil people the reason for his vote. https://t.co/MpWrowmywX pic.twitter.com/DzIsmc0DbD

— Ambika Satkunanathan (@ambikasat) December 21, 2025

The post Human Rights Activist demands explanation from MP Sritharan appeared first on Newswire.

The BAR Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) has called on the government to appoint the remaining member of the Right to Information Commission, without further delay.

In a letter addressed to the National Constitutional Council, the BASL says the former Chairman of the Right to Information Commission retired in March this year, following which the position remains vacant to date.

The BASL points out that the office of chairperson is integral to the effective functioning of the said commission and the fulfilment of its mandate under the Right to Information Act. 

The absence of a chairperson hampers the commission’s ability to operate efficiently and discharge its duties as provided by the Right to Information Commission, the BASL further said.

As such, urging the Constitutional Council to take serious note of the matter, the BASL urged it to nominate the remaining member to fully constitute the Right to Information Commission. (Newswire)

The post No RTI chair since March : BASL questions appeared first on Newswire.

Two new appointments have been made to the National Constitutional Council.

Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) Parliamentarian S. Sritharan has been appointed to represent minority parties.

Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Parliamentarian Ajith P. Perera has been appointed to represent the Leader of the Opposition Leader. (Newswire)

The post New appointments to National Constitutional Council appeared first on Newswire.

The Constitutional Council has rejected the President’s proposal to extend the term of office of Attorney General Sanjay Rajaratnam (PC).

It is reported that the President had proposed to extend the Attorney General’s term of office by another six months.

According to Lankadeepa newspaper, the President’s proposal was defeated when the Constitutional Council met under the aegis of Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena in Parliament today. 

In the recent past, objections were raised against the President’s proposal to extend the term of office of the Attorney General. (Newswire)

The post President’s proposal to extend term of Attorney General rejected appeared first on Newswire.

The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka has issued an interim order preventing the President from nominating judges to the Supreme Court, other than the Chief Justice.

The interim order issued against President Ranil Wickremesinghe today is effective until October 04, 2024.

The order was issued when the petition filed against the National Constitutional Council’s decision to reject the President’s nomination to appoint Court of Appeal President Nissanka Bandula Karunaratne as a judge of the Supreme Court, was taken up for consideration today. 

The case has been fixed for hearing on October 04, 2024. (Newswire)

The post SC order against President & CC on appointment of judges appeared first on Newswire.

Not only Parliament but the Executive President is also responsible for the people, Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) MP Charitha Herath said. 

Professor Charitha Herath expressed his views in a letter addressed to President Ranil Wickremesinghe. 

The letter has been forwarded to the President based on the recent reports on the problems developing between the Parliamentary Constitutional Council and the President.

Prof. Herath points out that a conflict has arisen between the Constitutional Council and the President over the nomination of the Court of Appeal President, Justice Nissanka Bandula Karunaratne to the Constitutional Council. 

Stating that the Constitutional Council members have rejected the nomination 5-3, MP Herath warned that, however, President Wickremesinghe’s refusal to accept the rejection was causing a serious constitutional crisis. 

Following is the 04-point letter of Prof. Charitha Herath to President Ranil Wickremesinghe.

The post Constitutional crisis : Prof Herath writes to President appeared first on Newswire.

A Parliamentary Select Committee will be appointed to probe the delays by the Constitutional Council in approving names to high posts in Sri Lanka, President Ranil Wickremesinghe announced today (Nov 23).

The President made the remarks after an intense discussion was held in Parliament on the matter concerning the delays by the Constitutional Council in approving names to high posts in Sri Lanka.

He further said that this has resulted in Sri Lanka not having an Inspector General of Police (IGP) and judges, adding that the Police and Judiciary cannot function.

Commenting on the matter concerning the appointment of Court of Appeal President Justice Nissanka Bandula Karunaratne to the Supreme Court, the President said he was unaware of the reason for the delay.

“It was a name nominated by the Chief Justice that was put forward to the Constitutional Council by me,” he clarified.

The President stressed that the necessary decisions could not be taken if certain members of the Constitutional Council were working from inside to sabotage the efforts of the council. 

President Ranil Wickremesinghe said, therefore, it has been decided to appoint a Parliamentary Select Committee to debate the matters related to the Constitutional Council. 

“Today we can’t make appointments to the Police Department or the Judiciary. The Speaker has sent a letter to the Constitutional Council and they have responded stating that they cannot make a decision. One member is yet to be appointed to the Constitutional Council. 6 of the council members are split on the decision, while two are abstaining from voting leading to the appointments being delayed,” he revealed in Parliament. 

The President also pointed out that they are unable to appoint an Anti-Corruption Commission despite the laws being passed due to similar issues with the Constitutional Council.

“This Council comes under the Executive, even though it is considered a Parliamentary Committee and the Constitutional Council. The Council is tasked with studying the eligibility of the names nominated by the President for appointments to high posts. So as the Executive I have taken the necessary action in this regard,” he added. 

The President made the remarks in response to questions raised by Opposition MPs Sajith Premadasa, Harsha de Silva, and Rauf Hakeem. 

A long discussion took place, thereafter, between the President and Opposition Leader MP Sajith Premadasa on the matters concerning the Constitutional Council.

The discussion also primarily focused on the delay in appointing Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP Dharmalingam Sithadthan as the last member of the Council, as nominated by the opposition.

Opposition leader MP Sajith Premadasa alleged that the Speaker has failed to appoint MP Sithadthan to the Constitutional Council as proposed by the TNA and that the Opposition cannot take the blame for the inaction of the Speaker. (NewsWire)

The post “No IGP & Judges” President blames CC (Video) appeared first on Newswire.

The National Constitutional Council has granted approval to appoint Professor Manjula Fernando to the post of Chairman of the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL). 

Accordingly, Professor Manjula Fernando officially assumed duties today (June 23) as the Chairman of the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka.

He replaces former PUCSL Chairman Janaka Ratanayake who was removed from the post after a motion was debated and passed in Parliament in May. 

The Parliamentary motion against Janaka Ratnayake was presented as per Section 7 of the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka Act.

The debate took place after several spats between Ratnayake and Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera, ranging over various matters, including electricity tariff revisions and duration of power cuts. (NewsWire)

The post Prof Manjula Fernando assumes duties as PUCSL Chief appeared first on Newswire.