Court confirms registration for Electric Vehicles imported under Labour Ministry Permit Scheme

The Commissioner General of Motor Traffic officially confirmed before the Court of Appeal last Friday (21) that electric motor vehicles imported under the permit scheme established by the Ministry of Labour and Foreign Employment Circular No. 02/2022 are now eligible for registration.   
Sri Lanka has faced a significant economic crisis marked by the depletion of foreign currency reserves, which has adversely affected the country’s ability to service foreign debt and import essential goods. In an effort to address this issue, the Ministry of Labour and Foreign Employment issued Circular No. 02/2022 to incentivize migrant workers to remit foreign currency through official channels.   
As part of this initiative, a permit scheme was established, allowing the importation of electric motor vehicles under specific conditions. Counsel for the Petitioner Faiszer Musthapha PC submitted, that many applications for the registration of these vehicles were erroneously denied due to a misinterpretation of Gazette Extraordinary No. 2368/24, in violation of the Motor Traffic Act.   
The denial of registrations was subsequently challenged in the Court of Appeal under two writ petitions.   
On December 19, 2024, the Court of Appeal issued an interim order, directing the Commissioner General of Motor Traffic, to accept and process applications for the registration of electric motor vehicles imported under the specified permit scheme until a final determination of the Writ Application is made in accordance with the law.   
Pursuant to the action, the Commissioner General of Motor Traffic has now confirmed the eligibility of these vehicles for registration, providing relief to many who have been affected by the previous refusals.   
Faiszer Musthapha PC, along with Shaheeda Barrie, Mehran Careem, and Sierra Amarasiri, represented the petitioner in CA/Writ/813/2024. Upul Kumarapperuma PC, represented the petitioner in CA/Writ/812/2024.