A Supreme Court judge today withdrew from proceedings on the appeal filed by former Minister Rishad Bathiudeen against a verdict relating to the clearing of forest reserves near the Wilpattu sanctuary and subsequent resettlements.

The appeal was taken up before a three‑judge bench comprising Justices A.H.M.D. Nawaz, Sampath Abeykoon, and Gihan Kulatunga. 

At the hearing, Justice Nawaz announced that he was stepping down from examining the petition due to personal reasons.

The bench directed that the appeal be called before another panel on September 9.

The case stems from a 2015 writ petition filed by the Centre for Environmental Justice before the Court of Appeal, challenging the clearing of forest land near Wilpattu and resettlement activities allegedly carried out under Bathiudeen’s direction. 

The Court of Appeal later held the former Minister responsible and ordered him to bear the costs of reforestation, estimated by the Department of Wildlife Conservation at around Rs. 1.6 billion.

Bathiudeen has appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing that the Court of Appeal’s ruling was unlawful and seeking its annulment.

Several other Supreme Court judges, Mahinda Samayawardhena, Yasanta Kodagoda, Janak de Silva, and Arjuna Obeyesekere, had previously withdrawn from hearing the petition. (Newswire)

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Five suspects have been apprehended for hunting a pregnant spotted deer in the Wilpattu National Park on Wednesday (28). 

The arrests were made by wildlife officers from the Kukulkatuwa Beat Office of the Wilpattu National Park who were patrolling the Meegasdeniya area around 12:30 pm. 

The wildlife officers had observed that a pregnant spotted deer had been killed and was being prepared for meat. 

One individual had obstructed the duties of the wildlife officers and fled the scene.

Although the suspects were in possession of firearms, the wildlife officers managed to apprehend five individuals, seizing a 12-bore firearm, ammunition, a machete, two motorcycles, and an electric torch.

The suspects and the case items are scheduled to be presented before the Nochchiyagama Magistrate’s Court today.

Wildlife officials have launched investigations to locate the suspect who had fled. (Newswire)

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Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development, Sunil Handunneththi, says the absence of a national policy on mineral sands had led to operations at an ilmenite mining site near the Wilpattu Sanctuary.

During an observation visit to the site, the minister revealed that the Environmental Pollution Control Unit of Walana had intervened to halt operations at the ilmenite mining site.

Minister Handunneththi said, currently, a national policy on minerals is being formulated in collaboration with the Ministry of Industries, the Board of Investment, the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau, the Ministry of Environment, and other relevant institutions.

He further said that the Sri Lankan government believes that the policy decisions to be implemented in the near future will strengthen the country’s mineral economy.

Parliamentarians from the Puttalam District, officials from the Ministry of Environment, the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau, and other state officials participated in the observation tour. (Newswire)

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The Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) has clarified that the recent encounter between a dog and a leopard inside Wilpattu National Park was not caused by a domestic pet being brought into the park.

Director General M.G.C. Sooriyabandara issued the statement following an investigation triggered by a viral video showing the interaction, which raised concerns about whether dogs were being used to attract leopards for the benefit of tourists.

According to the inquiry, the incident occurred on January 29, 2025, near the Kumbukvila area of the park.

The dog had been identified as a guard dog belonging to a farmer in Randagama, Hunuwilagama, who allows it to roam freely to protect his cultivation.

According to the DWC, the owner noticed the dog missing on the day of the incident, but said that it had returned the following day.

Wildlife officials inspected the area and confirmed the dog’s presence at the owner’s plot. The DWC said the dog was at the plot with minor injuries visible on its body.

Meanwhile the, DWC said CCTV footage showed no evidence of domestic animals being smuggled into the park on the day of the incident.

Statements recorded from wildlife officers and individuals accused on social media revealed no inconsistencies, Sooriyabandara said.

Smuggling domestic animals into wildlife reserves is an offence, the Director General added. (Newswire)

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The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka today issued an Interim Order preventing the execution of the Gazette notification which lifts the protected status of an area belonging to the Vedithalathivu Forest Reserve in Wilpattu.

The Gazette notification was issued by Minister of Wildlife and Forest Resources Conservation Pavithra Wanniarachchi in May to set up an aquaculture industrial park.

The Minister had issued the Gazette notification in order to allocate a section of the Vedithalathivu Forest Reserve in Wilpattu for a prawn farm project. 

However, the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society (WNPS) filed a petition with the Supreme Court challenging the government’s decision in this regard.

The legal challenge contests the Minister’s recent decision to alter the boundaries of the Wedithalathive Nature Reserve, as outlined in Extraordinary Gazette No. 2383/05 dated May 6, 2024. 

In its petition, the WNPS argues that this action is illegal, threatens conservation efforts, and was done without proper transparency or due process. The WNPS further highlights the ecological importance of the area, especially the mangroves and seagrass that are within the reserve. 

The Supreme Court having heard the submissions made on behalf of WNPS issued interim orders staying and suspending the operation and validity of the said order of the Minister and further ordered that the Minister and the other Respondents maintain the status quo as of the date of the Petition. (Newswire)

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