Former Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Director SSP Shani Abeysekara has withdrawn his fundamental rights (FR) petition challenging the decision taken by the National Police Commission (NPC) to suspend and transfer him following the 2019 presidential election. The petition, filed with the Supreme Court, was taken up before a three-judge bench consisting Justices Sisira de Abrew, L.T.B. Dehideniya, and Preethi Padman Surasena yesterday (30). The attorney representing the former CID Director told the court that his client did not wish to proceed with the FR petition in question, as another FR petition concerning the matter had already been filed with the Supreme Court. Accepting the request for the withdrawal, the Supreme Court bench ordered to revoke the FR petition. Earlier this month, the former CID Director had filed an FR petition citing the Defence Secretary, Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP), Chairman and members of the Election Commission, Chairman and members of the NPC, and the Attorney General (AG) as its respondents. The petitioner alleged that following the presidential election last year, he was removed from the directorship of the CID without a valid reason and transferred on 21 November to serve as the Personal Assistant to the Southern DIG. SSP Abeysekara also noted that he was stripped of the special security detail given to him due to threats to his life. After the recordings of the controversial telephone conversations of former State Minister Ranjan Ramanayake came to light, he was suspended from his duties on 7 January this year, SSP Abeysekara had further said. The petitioner claimed that the NPC’s decision to suspend and transfer him was entirely unlawful, while pointing out that a formal disciplinary inquiry was not conducted in this regard despite him being suspended for months.