Writ petition against alleged demolition of section of Trincomalee temple to be heard on December 16

Colombo, Nov. 19 (Daily Mirror) - The writ petition filed by the Chief Incumbent of the Sri Sambuddha Jayanthi Bodhiraja Viharaya in Trincomalee, Venerable Kalyanawansa Tissa Thera, seeking an order to prevent the demolition of a section of the temple premises, has been fixed for December 16 by the Court of Appeal.

The Court of Appeal observed the necessity of resolving this matter peacefully.

The petition names the Director General of the Coastal Conservation Department, the Secretary to the Ministry of Environment, and the Minister of Environment as respondents.

According to the petition, the temple was officially registered in 1951 under the Amarapura Nikaya in accordance with the Buddhist Temporalities Ordinance. It further noted that on June 6, 2014, then President Mahinda Rajapaksa granted a valid deed to the temple during the tenure of Venerable Mahinda Wansama Tissa Thera, who served as the chief incumbent at the time.