The Attorney General recently told the Supreme Court that he had been informed by the Inspector General of Police that the promotion of Deputy Inspector General of Police H. D. Adison GoonetiLlake would be back-dated to be effective from October 25, 2000.

Senior State Counsel Parinda Ranasinghe appeared for the Attorney General.

In view of the submission made by the SSC, the petitioner Goonetillake withdrew his rights violation application, whereby he had complained that he had been made DIG, with effect from December 25, 2007, though he should have been promoted to the rank of DIG way back in 2000. Due to this unfair treatment, he had been placed 24th in the seniority list of DIGs. Officers junior to him had been promoted senior DIG. Had he been promoted in 2000, he would have been a senior DIG, he said.

The petitioner had requested Court to direct the National Police Commission and the IGP to rectify the error. The petition was supported by Wijeyadasa Rajapakse, PC.

The Bench comprised Justice Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake and Justice K. Sripavan.