FR case by Slave Island residents:

Counsel directed to notify respondents

Wasantha RAMANAYAKE

The Supreme Court yesterday put off for support for the interim order preventing the residents from evicting from the unauthorised houses in the Slave Island, Colombo for Thursday in the Fundamental Rights application filed by the affected residents.

Although the case was to be supported for the interim relief yesterday, the petitioners had failed to notify the respondents. Senior State Counsel Parinda Ranasinghe for the Attorney General undertook to maintain the status quo ie not to continue with the demolishing of the houses until Thursday.

The court directed counsel Upul Jayasuriya for the petitioners to notify the respondents in order to support for the interim order seeking to prevent the respondents from demolishing and evicting the residents from unauthorised structures in the Glenny Passage, Station Passage and Station Street and Panahe Watte in Slave Island in an extent of land belonged to the Defence Ministry.

The Bench comprised Justice Shirani Thilakawardane, Justice Andrew Somawansa and Justice K. Sripavan.

The petitioners stated that they had been living in these houses since 1960s paying all relevant taxes.

The petitioners’ children were attending the nearby schools. They stated that respondents issued eviction notices on July 10 stating security concerns asking them to vacate their houses before July 18 and started demolishing the houses on the same day without making proper arrangements to settle them.

They alleged that the respondents had acted in violation of the Natural Justice with out properly hearing them.

The petitioners stated that there are 359 households with more than 1,500 persons belonged to the three communities living in those houses. They cited the Defence Secretary, the UDA, REEL, its Chairman and several others as respondents.

The case will be supported for the interim relief on July 24.