Court issues directive to halt deforestation at Bogahapalassa reserve
16-May-2024This directive came from a panel comprising President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Nissanka Bandula Karunaratne, and Justice Sasi Mahendran, following a petition presented by the Centre for Environmental Justice.
The Court of Appeal has directed the Director General of the Wildlife Conservation Department and the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to intervene and halt the illegal deforestation activity occurring within the Bogahapalassa Forest Reserve.
This directive came from a panel comprising President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Nissanka Bandula Karunaratne, and Justice Sasi Mahendran, following a petition presented by the Centre for Environmental Justice.
During proceedings, Attorney-at-Law Ravindranath Dabare, representing the petitioners, brought to the court's attention that a specific group is conducting deforestation within a section of the Bogahapalassa Forest Reserve under the pretext that it falls under the jurisdiction of the Soragune Devalaya in Kataragama.
Consequently, the attorney urged the court to issue a restraining order to prevent further harm to the environment in the area.
Responding to the plea, the court granted the request and issued the order, scheduling the petition to be revisited on July 24.
