Over 8,000 state-issued firearms remain unlicensed under crop protection scheme, court told

Colombo, Dec. 10 (Daily Mirror) - The writ petition challenging the Defence Ministry’s decision to issue 13,207 firearms to farmers in December 2024 for crop protection was taken up before the Court of Appeal, where it was revealed that only 5,000 of these firearms have been formally licensed.

Deputy Solicitor General Dr. Avanti Perera, appearing for the respondent parties, informed court that out of the 13,207 weapons distributed under the programme, licences had been issued for merely 5,000.

The petition, filed by the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society of Sri Lanka, was taken up before the two-judge bench comprising Justice Rohantha Abeysuriya and Justice K. Priyantha Fernando.

The petitioners contend that the firearms were issued indiscriminately under the guise of crop protection and are allegedly being used to kill elephants, an endangered and strictly protected species recognised as part of the national heritage under the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance (FFPO).

President’s Counsel Sanjeeva Jayawardena, appearing for the petitioner, informed court that in light of the undertaking provided by the Attorney General at the previous hearing, the petitioner is satisfied that the Minister will fulfil his statutory obligations under Section 68A of the FFPO. This includes formulating a comprehensive plan and programme to address the human-elephant conflict by implementing the National Action Plan for Human-Elephant Conflict 2020.

However, Jayawardena PC stressed that several key concerns raised in the petition remain unresolved, particularly the “uncontrolled circulation of firearms” resulting from the Defence Ministry’s mass issuance of weapons.

Referring to the DSG’s disclosure that only 5,000 firearms have been licensed, Jayawardena PC submitted that this alone demonstrates the grave risks inherent in the scheme.

“This shows that several thousand firearms are unaccounted for. Going forward, it will not be possible to determine in whose hands these weapons are. This is precisely the danger the petitioner warned of,” he told court.

He argued that authorities must immediately halt the issuing of additional firearms, trace and recover the weapons already distributed, and initiate prosecutions against individuals in unlawful possession of such arms.

The petitioner seeks to proceed with the remaining prayers in the petition, which call for halting the “wanton, en masse issuance” of firearms allegedly intended for the dispersal and in effect, the destruction of elephant populations, and instead implementing a scientifically informed, structured programme to manage the human-elephant conflict.

The Court of Appeal directed the Attorney General to inform the court of further steps that could be taken to address the concerns raised by the petitioner. The matter was fixed for mention on February 6, 2026.

Sanjeeva Jayawardena PC appeared for the petitioner together with Counsel Prashanthi Mahindraratne, Dilumi De Alwis, and Lakmini Warusevitane. Dr. Avanti Perera, DSG, appeared for the respondent parties.