CWE barred from entering Budget Shop

Sandasen Marasinghe

Colombo Additional District Judge Mackie Mohammed in an enjoining order yesterday prevented the CWE Director Board, its Chairman and the employees to enter the Rajagiriya Budget Shop and remove goods.

This is a sequel to an action filed by the Budget Shop owners before the Colombo District Court citing that their right to run businesses at the Budget Shop closed at the moment, is being violated by the defendants.

The plaintiff submitted that the Budget Shop at Rajagiriya was closed on July 18 without a prior notice in view of the SAARC summit.

The Budget shop was not open though the SAARC summit came to an end on August 3.

The plaintiff filing five separate plaints cited the CWE director board and its Chairman Nalin Fernando as defendants. Plaintiffs A. Kingsley Jayaratne of Rajagiriya, Ruwan Madurapriya of Boralasgamuwa, Sardha Jayasri Rasaputhra of Rajagiriya, W. M. A. Sarath Pushpakumara of Kotte and A. V. Siripala of Rajagiriya submitted that they were running their businesses in the shop and its closure was illegal.

The plaintiffs submitted the Budget Shop premises at Rajagiriya is owned by the defendants.

These Budget shops were opened islandwide by the late Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle.

The plaintiffs sought a court order to declare that the plaintiffs had the right to continue their businesses at the shop.

The plaintiffs also pleaded the court to issue an interim order preventing the defendants or their employees from interrupting the plaintiffs to continue their businesses until the end of this case.