• Legal measures are aimed at saving policemen from cases of alleged violations of Fundamental Rights made by the public against them

By Sandun A. Jayasekera and Darshana Sanjeewa Balasuriya   

The Public Security Ministry would introduce a piece of legislation to exonerate policemen automatically from any allegation of violating Fundamental Rights (FR) if and when the complaints against them by anyone are not inquired and concluded in six months, Public Security Minister Rear Admiral (retired) Sarath Weerasekara said yesterday.   

 The new legal measures are aimed at saving policemen from filing cases of allegations of Fundamental Rights by the public against them, he added.   

“Policemen have become suspects in FR cases filed by the public while doing their duty correctly and obediently. We are in the process of providing these police officers some relief. There were about 35 in the waiting list to be promoted to the rank of ASP. Granting of these promotions had been held up as they have FR petitions against them in the Supreme Court,” Minister Weerasekara lamented.   

Addressing a Community Police Empowerment programme in Kandy yesterday, he said the delay or deprivation of promotions to police officers was a shortcoming of the system that governs the Police Department. The Secretary to the Ministry of Public Security and the Police Chief had conducted a survey on these derelictions. They expect to put in place a mechanism to acquit policemen ad-lib from all charges made against them if and when the allegations are not inquired and concluded in six months in accordance to the provisions of the Establishment Code.   

Thousands of policemen of various ranks are facing FR petitions filed in the Supreme Court against them by the public on violation of fundamental rights, human rights, torture, abduction and murder while in police custody.