For the first time in Sri Lanka, children in 10 selected districts will elect their representatives for shadow local bodies formed by The Social Architects (TSA), in line with Sri Lankan’s Pradeshiya Sabha Act.
They will establish the first-ever Children’s Shadow Pradeshiya Sabhas (CSPS) in Sri Lanka.
TSA is a Charitable Trust working to promote participatory governance in Sri Lanka after witnessing the need to popularize the present Sri Lankan Local Governance Structure to the preteens and teens in 10 districts of Ampara, Anuradhapura, Batticaloa, Rathnapura, Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Matara, Mullaitivu, Nuwara Eliya and Polonnaruwa.
To participate, practice and enjoy democracy at a young age, children between ages 11-15, with the consent of their parents/guardians, will be casting their votes today (16) for 19 CSPS across the 10 districts. They will follow the process parallel to the Local Authorities Elections conducted under the mixed proportional system.
The children have submitted eight names for each party (Children for Earth; Children for Sustainable Development; Children for Fair Resource Allocation) for every CSPS and, in total, 24 names for each CSPS, i.e. 456 candidates. They also ensured female representation.
Assets of two prominent police officers are to be probed after authorities received a number of complaints, highly placed sources in the government say.
One officer in question is a DIG while the other is a SSP, reports add.
The Police Illegal Assets And Property Investigation Division are conducting further investigations.
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has opened a probe following a complaint by Attorney General Parinda Ranasinghe that his staff have been unduly targeted by false allegations on social media.
The AG’s instruction to the CID came after several of his staff complained to him over the allegation on social media.
Particularly targeted are senior AG’s Department officials awaiting promotions, sources said.
In one of the posts, a senior officer was accused of being supportive of granting bail to Thamil Makkal Viduthal Puligal (TMVP) leader Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan, alias Pillaiyan, when his fundamental rights application over his arrest was taken up. During the hearing of the FR case, the matter of bail was not even considered, the sources said.
Another allegation was that in a case related to the suspended Police Chief Deshabandu Tennakoon, the AG prevented a senior officer from representing the department and instead sent a junior officer. However, on the particular day, the senior officer was indisposed, the sources said.
These allegations surface as the AG’s Department has filed more than 600 new indictments in High Courts so far this year, while the Bribery Commission has also referred several bribery and corruption cases to the AG for prosecution.
(sundaytimes.lk) (This story, originally published by sundaytimes.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)