Rishad ordered to reforest Kallaru reserve at his own expense

Parliamentarian Rishad Bathiudeen has been ordered to reforest the clearing of the Kallaru Sanctuary on his own expenses.

The case against the ex-minister over the clearing of the Kallaru Sanctuary near the Wilpattu National Park was taken up before the Court of Appeal Justices Janak de Silva and Nishshanka Bandula Karunaratne, today (16).

The petition, filed by the Centre for Environmental Justice, had named the Director of Wild Life Department, Central Environmental Authority, former Minister Rishad Bathiudeen, and several others as the respondents of the petition.

Returning the verdict on the case, the court ruled the clearing of the reserve to be illegal.

In addition to ordering MP Bathiudeen to reforest the cleared area, the court also ordered the respondent to take steps to pay the plaintiff’s legal fees.

The Centre for Environmental Justice had lodged the petition in 2015, stating that reforestation and illegal resettlement at Wilpattu National Park have caused massive environmental destruction and sought an order of Writ of Certiorari and Mandamus to remove illegal resettlements in a forest reserved area.

The hearing of the petition was set to be concluded in August last year, however, it was postponed as CA Judge Mahinda Samayawardhena has declined to deliver its verdict.