Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has challenged Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala’s claim that a certificate from a Police Committee Chairman is not required to obtain a Police Clearance Certificate.
Yesterday, Minister Wijepala dismissed a newspaper report stating that a Police Committee Chairman’s certificate was needed in addition to a Grama Niladhari certificate, calling the report “fake news” and clarifying that no such directive had been issued by the Ministry.
Media Minister Nalinda Jayatissa also condemned the report in Parliament today, questioning its credibility and noting the lack of a properly cited source. “The reporter could have verified the claim with the minister, deputy minister, or other government officials. This is a deliberate and fake report,” he said.
However, Premadasa countered that two individuals in Hakmana and Kamburupitiya had been asked by local police to obtain such certificates, raising concerns about what he described as a possible move toward a “constitutional dictatorship or police state.”
In response, Minister Wijepala reiterated that no circular mandates such a requirement. He explained that the current government had replaced the former Community Police Committees with Public Security Committees, where the Grama Niladhari serves as secretary, emphasizing that the committees remain non-political.
SJB MP Mujibur Rahman added that similar complaints regarding a Police Committee certificate had also emerged from Colombo. Minister Wijepala stated that the matters raised by the Opposition Leader would be investigated.
