A Magistrate Asked for Contempt Action Against the Police Chief. Days Later, He Was Moved

On 6 November 2026, the Judicial Service Commission transferred Gampaha Magistrate Bandula Gunaratne to the Sri Lanka Judges’ Institute with immediate effect, according to Ada Derana, the Daily Mirror and Newswire. The transfer letter was issued by the Commission’s Secretary, Prasanna Alwis. Newswire reported that the Commission has not officially disclosed the reason.

The timing has raised questions. On 21 October, the magistrate had asked the President of the Court of Appeal to begin contempt of court proceedings against the Inspector General of Police, Priyantha Weerasooriya, according to Jaffna Monitor and Asian Mirror. Newswire reported that the IGP then wrote to the Commission on 26 October, asking for an immediate investigation into the magistrate. The Commission called for the magistrate’s observations, and the transfer followed shortly after he submitted them, the Daily Mirror reported.

How the dispute began

According to Ada Derana, the case began when the Anti-Vice Unit of the Gampaha Police filed two separate cases on the same day against one suspect, with identical drug possession charges. When the magistrate questioned this, the police described it as an oversight and asked to withdraw one case. The magistrate reprimanded the police for bringing baseless cases against citizens, ordered compensation for the suspect, and directed the IGP to issue a circular to all police stations instructing officers not to bring baseless cases. Accounts of the details, including the compensation amounts, differ between outlets, and Lanka Witness has not seen the court record.

The magistrate later found that the IGP had not complied with his order. Jaffna Monitor reported that a circular issued by a local Deputy Inspector General covered only some divisions, and that the magistrate rejected it before referring the matter to the Court of Appeal.

The police case

The police have a case that deserves to be heard. According to Asian Mirror, the IGP’s complaint to the Commission argued that a magistrate has no power to order an island-wide police circular or to reopen a concluded case, and cited earlier complaints about the same magistrate. Jaffna Monitor reported that some lawyers questioned whether a magistrate can refer an IGP for contempt at all. Those are serious legal questions.

But Sri Lanka’s legal system already has a remedy for a magistrate who goes too far: the police can ask a higher court to review the order. Jaffna Monitor reported that lawyers and retired judges said the proper path was revision in the appellate courts, and warned that moving the judge instead could amount to interference with the judiciary.

Why the silence matters

Lanka Witness does not suggest that the government ordered this transfer. The Judicial Service Commission is an independent constitutional body, chaired by the Chief Justice. But independence carries a duty to explain. When a judge who has challenged the head of the police is moved within days of the police chief’s complaint, and no reason is given, citizens will draw their own conclusions. That harms the judiciary, and it harms the police.

The NPP government promised to strengthen the rule of law and end police abuse. It should say clearly that it supports the right of judges to hold the police to account, and the IGP should explain why he chose a complaint to the Commission rather than an appeal. The Commission, for its part, should publish the reasons for the transfer, so that the public can judge whether it was a routine administrative decision or a response to pressure.