Letter of concern to Defence Secretary over arrest of former Navy Chief

Civilian intelligence architect and legal-State strategist Jihan Hameed has written to the Defence Secretary expressing concern over the manner in which the former Navy Commander Nishantha Ulugetenne was arrested and remanded on Tuesday.

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In her letter Hameed alleges grave institutional failure in the civilian remanding of the former Navy Chief and urges clarification from the Defence Secretary. Following are excerpts.

THIS letter is issued to formally raise alarm over the recent remanding through civilian custody of the former Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy — a constitutional-level military authority who once held direct command over one-third of Sri Lanka’s defence apparatus.

The treatment of such a figure through standard criminal remand procedures, absent any assertion of military custody or command-level procedural safeguards, amounts to a direct institutional breakdown and violates the national doctrine of civil—military coordination.

While the judiciary may act independently, the Ministry of Defence bears the nontransferable responsibility to advise, intervene, and preserve the command dignity of the armed forces, especially in cases involving former service commanders.