Human Rights Activist demands explanation from MP Sritharan
Former Commissioner of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka, Ambika Satkunanathan, has questioned Illankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK) MP Sivagnanam Shritharan’s move to vote in favour of appointing a serving army officer as Auditor General
“Shritharan of ITAK, a member of the Constitutional Council, voted in favour of appointing serving army officer Rajasinghe as Auditor General. If this is true, MP Shritharan must explain to the Tamil people the reason for his vote,” Ambika Satkunanathan said in a post on ‘X’.
She further said that as a representative of the Tamil ppl, and if the news report was true, voting for a serving army officer calls into question everything the MP has publicly said about militarization and its adverse impact on the rights of Tamils.
“This appointment would have been detrimental to the country because it would have undermined the independence of the office of Auditor General and good governance, and entrenched militarization. Previous AGs found financial waste, mismanagement and possible corruption by the Army. In light of these facts, why would you vote for this person? ‘System change’, this is not,” she added.
The former Commissioner of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka raised concerns after it was reported that the Constitutional Council (CC) had rejected O.R. Rajasinghe’s name submitted by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to take over as the country’s next Auditor General.
The Council’s decision marks the fourth time in eight months that nominees put forward by the President to serve as Auditor General, either in a permanent or acting capacity, have been rejected.
Rajasinghe is a serving officer of the Sri Lanka Army and a member of the Army’s Audit Division. His name had been submitted to the CC by Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya during its meeting held last Wednesday. During the CC meeting, chaired by Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne, only four members voted in support of the President’s nominee, while five voted against.
All three civil society members, along with Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa and Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Ajith P. Perera, voted against the nominee. Prime Minister Amarasuriya and House Leader Bimal Rathnayake, along with MPs M. Athambawa and S. Shritharan, voted for the nominee. (Newswire)
According to the Sunday Times MP @ImShritharan of ITAK, a member of Constitutional Council, voted in favour of appointing serving army officer Ranasinghe as Auditor General. If this is true, MP Shritharan must explain to the Tamil people the reason for his vote. https://t.co/MpWrowmywX pic.twitter.com/DzIsmc0DbD
— Ambika Satkunanathan (@ambikasat) December 21, 2025
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