News

Former Inspector General of Police (IGP) C.D. Wickramaratne has died at the age of 63, with police reporting that the incident is being investigated as a suspected suicide.

Police Spokesperson Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) F.U. Wootler confirmed that Wickramaratne was found at his residence in Thalahena with a fatal gunshot wound caused by his service firearm.

His remains have been transferred to the Mulleriyawa Hospital, while investigations into the circumstances surrounding his death are being carried out by the Malabe Police.

Wickramaratne served as the 35th Inspector General of Police of Sri Lanka, following a long career in the police service that began in 1986 when he joined the force as a Probationary Assistant Superintendent of Police.

A graduate of the University of Colombo and the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Wickramaratne held several senior positions during his decades-long career before taking over as the country’s top police officer.

He was appointed Acting Inspector General of Police on April 28, 2019, a position he held for more than a year before being formally appointed as IGP on November 28, 2020.

Wickramaratne served as Inspector General of Police until his retirement on November 27, 2023.

Further details regarding the incident are expected as police continue their investigations.

The Court of Appeal has announced that it will deliver its decision on July 23, 2026, regarding whether to grant leave to proceed with a petition seeking the postponement of the upcoming 2026 G.C.E. Advanced Level (A/L) Examination.

The petition was filed by a group of students preparing to sit for the examination, requesting the court to issue an order to delay the scheduled examination.

After considering submissions made by the petitioners and representatives of the Attorney General’s Department, the Court of Appeal bench decided to announce its decision on whether the petition can proceed on July 23.

The court’s forthcoming decision will determine whether further proceedings will be permitted in relation to the request to postpone the examination.

Sri Lanka is actively considering the implementation of a property tax to boost state revenue, following explicit directives from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Sources indicate that the introduction of this wealth tax has become a focal point of recent fiscal discussions in Colombo as the government scrambles to meet its revenue targets.

Although the global lender has recommended the introduction of a property tax on several previous occasions, both the past government and the current government have repeatedly deferred its implementation.

The highly sensitive tax has faced continuous delays due to its potential unpopularity and administrative complexities, with successive regimes pushing back timelines from time to time.

However, the room for political maneuvering appears to have run out.

Reports suggest that the Washington based lender has now firmly emphasised that this property tax must be officially enacted to broaden the state revenue base before the next crucial loan tranche can be released to Sri Lanka.

While the government has not yet taken a final decision regarding the exact framework or thresholds of this tax system, the government is running out of options under the current economic bailout programme.

While the government has imposed heavy taxes on agricultural equipment, it has reduced taxes on cigarettes, having granted the tobacco company tax relief amounting to Rs. 9.2 billion from January to July 14, 2026, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa said.

He said the government had acted to grant tax concessions to tobacco companies while placing a tax burden on farming equipment.

The Opposition Leader made these remarks while participating in a meeting held at Suriyawewa in Hambantota to discuss the problems faced by farmers.

He said that although the government had announced a guaranteed price of Rs. 120 for Nadu paddy, Rs. 130 for Samba and Rs. 140 for Keeri Samba as a means of protecting paddy farmers, it had promised during the election period that a guaranteed price of Rs. 150 for paddy would be made law in the country, a promise that had not been fulfilled to date.

He said farming had today become a loss making profession.

"The farmer is trapped in a deadly debt trap"

The Opposition Leader said that farming had today become a vicious cycle in which farmers had become trapped in a deadly situation, borrowing money from money lenders at high interest to carry out cultivation, while not receiving quality fertiliser, seed paddy or agrochemicals, and not even receiving the fertiliser subsidy as promised.

He said that, in addition, the prices of agrochemicals and fertiliser had risen, and at a time when the prices of equipment had already increased amid these problems, the government had imposed further taxes on this equipment.

He added that the human elephant conflict had also intensified, and that although property, lives and everything else were being lost, none of this appeared to be a concern for the government.

"The government has no answers to farmers' problems"

The Opposition Leader said that although questions had been raised in Parliament today on behalf of the farming community, the government had reached a point where it was delaying answers to these questions.

He said that although the harvesting season in the Eastern Province was drawing to a close, no solutions had been provided, and that the government's attempts amounted to delaying matters until they could be forgotten. He noted that currently only Rs. 120 was being paid for paddy with 14 percent moisture content, and that this had been limited to 2,500 kilograms.

"Govt has no interest in making the country self sufficient"

The Opposition Leader further said that although false promises had been made to win votes, the government was today acting in a manner that caused farmers loss upon loss.

He said that at a time when the farming community was facing numerous problems, the very government that had obtained the farmers' votes had now become a burden to them.

Premadasa said the government itself claimed that it was not the farmer who could guarantee food security and self sufficiency, adding that this government had no target for food security.

He said false promises had been made while in opposition, and that the SJB would continue to fight until a fair price was given for paddy.

The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) has condemned prison authorities after its officers were blocked from entering Welikada Prison earlier this month.

The rights watchdog declared that the denial of access directly violated the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka Act, which legally empowers its officials to inspect places of detention at any time without prior notice.

Prison officials met with the HRCSL on 14 July under the chairmanship of Justice L.T.B. Dehideniya to explain the incident, which occurred on July 07, 2026.

The authorities expressed regret for failing to communicate properly and blamed the standoff on an unstable security situation within the prison complex.

However, the HRCSL firmly rejected the explanation, stating it was completely unsatisfied with the reasons provided by the prison administration.

The commission raised severe concerns regarding the treatment of inmates recently transferred to Welikada following violence at Negombo Prison.

It highlighted alarming allegations of torture, the denial of necessary medical treatment, and lengthy delays in informing families where the prisoners had been moved.

Furthermore, the HRCSL discovered that several prisoners were still being held behind bars despite having already completed their sentences.

Welikada Prison authorities have now been ordered to cooperate fully with a comprehensive investigation into allegations of torture, ill-treatment, and deaths in custody.

The commission has issued immediate directives demanding that prison authorities respect its statutory right to inspect prisons, halt all reprisals against transferred inmates, notify families of prisoner locations, and immediately release those who have served their time.

Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Ajith P. Perera has claimed that the government is planning to implement a proposal to extend the retirement age of Supreme Court judges before the end of this year.

Speaking on the "360°" programme aired on TV Derana, Perera alleged that the move raised serious concerns, particularly since no official request for such an amendment had been made by any relevant institution or stakeholder.

He said Parliament had not been informed of the reason behind the proposed constitutional amendment, and that the matter had not been discussed by any parliamentary committee.

He noted that no request had come from the Chief Justice, Supreme Court judges, Court of Appeal judges or the Bar Association of Sri Lanka to increase the retirement age of Supreme Court judges, and pointed out that both the High Court Judges' Association and the Bar Association were opposed to the move. He added that no one had explained to Parliament why the amendment was being introduced, nor had it been taken up by any parliamentary committee.

Alleging that the proposal carried a hidden political motive, Perera questioned who was actually bringing it forward, saying that no one knew, which in his view pointed to a hidden agenda. He said the party had obtained a draft prepared by a privately appointed committee, and claimed the government was determined to push it through.

Perera further charged that the objective was to influence the balance of the judiciary for political purposes. He said it was now clear that the move was intended to reshape the judiciary to suit the government's political interests, adding that there was a target to have the amendment passed during the first week of December, which he said explained why the entire process appeared highly secretive.

The Supreme Court has fixed October 30, 2026, to consider a Fundamental Rights petition accusing the government of failing to implement adequate pre-disaster measures ahead of Cyclone Ditwah.

The petition seeks a formal declaration that the state's inaction violated the fundamental rights of the general public.

A Supreme Court bench comprising Justices Janak de Silva and Achala Wengappuli scheduled the hearing after taking up the petition, which was filed by an attorney from Kandy.

The Attorney General, acting on behalf of the President, has been named as a respondent alongside members of the Cabinet of Ministers and several other state officials.

The petitioner contends that the state failed to act despite advance warnings issued by the Department of Meteorology regarding the impending storm.

The lawsuit argues that the administration neglected to put proper contingency plans in place to protect citizens and minimise the widespread damage caused by the natural disaster.

The petitioner has asked the Supreme Court to intervene by ordering the government to take proactive steps for future events.

The motion requests a court directive forcing the state to formulate and implement comprehensive guidelines aimed at preventing or reducing the impact of similar natural disasters.

The Fort Magistrate yesterday (15) ordered Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) to release copies of the email data system belonging to the Public Debt Management Department to assist an ongoing investigation into a massive financial fraud.

The high profile probe concerns the fraudulent disposal of USD 2.5 million of government funds from the Sri Lanka Treasury.

Magistrate Pasan Amarasinghe issued the directive following a motion filed in the Fort Magistrate Court by the Criminal Investigation Department.

The investigators requested the specific data copies held by the telecom provider to expand their inquiry into the missing state funds.

The court heard that detectives have already forwarded hard drives containing sixteen terabytes of retrieved computer data to the University of Colombo for detailed analysis.

The newly requested email logs will be handed directly to a specialised technical committee appointed under the university to trace the fraudulent transactions.

Representatives from the CID emphasised to the court that obtaining these specific email records is absolutely essential for the extensive investigations currently underway.

The escalating military tensions in the Middle East have caused a significant surge in global oil prices, raising alarms about the potential adverse effects on the Sri Lankan economy.

Currently, Brent crude oil prices have risen to around USD 85 per barrel, while West Texas Intermediate crude is reported at USD 80 per barrel.

This continuous rise in oil prices on the world market poses ongoing challenges for national economic stability, suggesting a clear need for proactive measures to safeguard against future repercussions.

To mitigate these severe impacts, economic analysts emphasize the urgent need for the country to adjust local fuel prices in line with international market trends.

They stress that such changes are vital to protect the country from broader economic shocks that usually follow global energy crises.

Highlighting these concerns, economic analyst Dhananath Fernando disclosed that previous bouts of unrest in the Middle East have already imposed severe challenges on the nation’s economy.

He cautioned that the risk of a repeat situation remains high under the current global climate.

He further noted that despite the potential unpopularity of such a move, aligning local fuel prices with global rates is absolutely essential for economic stability.

According to his assessment, taking proactive steps now is the only way to prevent international shocks from destabilising domestic markets.