Orders made by two Magistrate’s Courts to release 14 elephants challenged in CA

• Possession of an unregistered elephant is a punishable offence in Sri Lanka

By Lakmal Sooriyagoda

The Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ) and animal rights activists yesterday filed a writ petition in the Court of Appeal seeking an order in the nature of a Writ of Certiorari to quash the orders made by Colombo Additional Magistrate and Matale Magistrate to release 14 tamed elephants, back to their claimants.

The petitioners are further seeking an interim order to suspend the operation of the Extraordinary Gazette notification (No. 2241/41) issued by State Minister of Wildlife Protection Wimalaweera Dissanayake to regularise the registration of tamed elephants.  

The petitioners CEJ, Hemantha Vithanage, Pathragoda Kankanamge Dilena, Panchali Madurangi Panapitiya, Maheshi Nalinka Munasinghe, Wadduwage Visakha Perera Tillekeratne filed this petition through Attorney-at-Law Nimmi Sanjeewani. State Minister Wimalaweera Dissanayake, Director General of Wildlife Conservation Chandana Sooriyabandara, Director General of Department of National Zoological Gardens, OIC of CID Special Investigation (No. 01), Inspector General of Police C. D Wickramaratne, Colombo Additional Magistrate S. Prabakaran, Matale Magistrate C. Wickramanayake and the Attorney General were named as respondents in the petition.