The Matara Magistrate's Court has ordered a man to compensate the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) for losses incurred after he climbed a high-voltage electricity transmission tower in protest over a family dispute.

The incident had occurred on July 21 in the Kamburupitiya area, where the man climbed a tower belonging to the high-voltage electricity transmission network to stage his protest.

As a result, electricity supply to several areas, including Thihagoda, Kamburupitiya, Akuressa, Mulatiyana, Deiyandara, Mawarala and Deniyaya, had to be suspended for more than two hours.

Police later brought the man's family members to the scene, following which he climbed down from the tower. He was immediately arrested and produced before the Matara Magistrate's Court, which initially remanded him until July 24, 2026. 

When the case was taken up on July 24, the Chief Magistrate of Matara directed the Kamburupitiya Police to calculate the financial losses incurred by the CEB as a result of the incident and submit a report to court. The suspect was further remanded until July 28, 2026.

When the case was recalled yesterday (28), police informed the court that the power outage, which lasted for more than two hours, had caused losses amounting to Rs. 201,059.90 to the CEB.

The suspect admitted to the offence during the hearing, following which the Matara Magistrate's Court ordered him to pay compensation for the losses suffered by the CEB.

The case was postponed until November 03, 2026 for further proceedings.