President instructs to strictly comply with law when issuing arrest warrants

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa instructed law enforcement officers that they should carry out their duties without any fear or favour, but their actions should strictly be in compliance with the law when it comes to issuing an arrest warrant against an individual, Presidential Secretariat said. 

He said that any arrests should be carried out only when absolutely necessary and in strict compliance with the law.

As arrest is not part of the punishment and results in the serious deprivation of liberty of citizens and other significant implications, such as loss of reputation and standing in the society, arrest to be carried out only when absolutely necessary and upon a decision taken with utmost care and in strict compliance with the law, President Rajapaksa instructed Acting Inspector General of Police Senior DIG C. D. Wickramaratne.

President further directs the Police to ensure that, necessity to arrest to be made entirely on the professional judgment. “Due respect should be given by officers discharging such duties to the Members of Parliament as representatives of the people and professionals such as Doctors,”

Police was further directed by the President to apply same equally to all citizens of Sri Lanka without any discrimination whatsoever nature and under no circumstances carried out for extraneous purposes and should not tolerate any undue influence.