Petition to prevent elephant electrocutions fixed for hearing

Colombo, June 17 (Daily Mirror) - A petition seeking urgent action to prevent the electrocution and illegal killing of elephants was taken up before the Court of Appeal today, with the court fixing a date for the hearing and directing the respondent state institutions to file their objections.

The petition was filed by the Center for Environmental Justice (CEJ) and its directors, Hemantha Withanage and Dilena Pathragoda, seeking a writ of mandamus compelling the relevant authorities to strictly enforce the Wildlife and Flora Protection Ordinance and formulate the necessary laws and regulations to prevent elephant deaths caused by electrocution and other illegal methods.

The petition cites the Supreme Court's 'Nakolagana' judgment, which held that the killing of elephants using electricity supplied by the Ceylon Electricity Board or other sources, including illegally connected batteries, violates the Wildlife and Flora Protection Ordinance.

The respondents named in the petition include the Minister of Wildlife, the Director General of Wildlife, the Inspector General of Police, the Ceylon Electricity Board and its General Manager, the Minister of Power and Energy, the Public Utilities Commission and the Attorney General.

The case was called before a two-judge bench of the Court of Appeal, including Justice Aditya Patabendi, in Court Hall No. 109. The bench fixed a date for the hearing and directed the respondent institutions to file any objections before the next hearing.

Senior Attorney-at-Law Dr. Ravindranath Dabare and Attorney-at-Law Sawanthi Ponnamperuma appeared for the petitioners on the instructions of Attorney-at-Law Manasha Jayasinghe.