A group of senior police officers have filed a fundamental rights petition in the Supreme Court seeking the annulment of the appointment of Sri Lanka's first female Deputy Inspector General of Police, Bimshani Jasinghe Arachchi.

The petitions challenging her appointment have been filed by 32 SSPs including SSP Ruwan Gunasekara. The petitioner alleges that her appointment with the approval of the IGP and the National Police Commission is contrary to the recruitment process for senior police officers.

The petition states that the regulations pertaining to the appointment of women to the post of Deputy Inspector General of Police do not provide for the use of the word 'women' and therefore a woman cannot hold the post of Deputy Inspector General of Police in Sri Lanka. The petition is scheduled to be heard before a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court tomorrow (Tuesday).