The President says: He will not pressure the Speaker or the Chief Justice in resolving the IGP issue.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday said he couldn’t pressure

Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena and Chief Justice Jayantha

Jayasuriya, PC, to address the unprecedented issue caused by a Supreme

Court directive in respect of several fundamental rights petitions filed

against IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon.

The President said so in response to The Island query regarding the failure

on the part of the Speaker and the CJ to resolve the issue at hand within a

week as advised by him. We raised the issue during a meeting between

President Wickremesinghe and senior representatives of both the print and

electronic media at Cinnamon Grand, Colombo.

Addressing the public gathering at Homagama President Wickremesinghe

said he had advised Speaker Abeywardena to discuss with Chief Justice

Jayantha Jayasuriya the issue of appointing an Acting IGP. The President

also said he would speak to the CJ on the same issue.

President Wickremesinghe said yesterday that it was the responsibility of

the Parliament and the Judiciary to resolve the issue.