News
S’gamuwa undergrad’s death: SC grants leave to proceed
A Supreme Court bench, comprising Justice Yasantha Kodagoda PC, and Justice Janak de Silva, on Tuesday (18), granted leave to proceed against all the respondents on the basis that the petitioners had established a prima facie case of the violation of Article 12 (1) of the Constitution in respect of the suicide of Charith Dilshan, a 2nd year student of the Faculty of Technology, Sabaragamuwa University as a result of having to endure severe ragging at the university premises on or around 26th April, 2025.
The action has been initiated by the President of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL), Rajeev Amarasuriya, and Secretary, BASL, Chathura Galhena, representing the BASL. It was supported by Attorney-at-Law Senany Dayaratne before the SC.
Having heard the submissions of the petitioners in this application, as well as a related application bearing No. SC/FR/147/2025, instituted by the parents of Charith Dilshan, which was supported by Avindra Rodrigo PC, with Ms. Tharushi Jayarathne, the Court granted leave to proceed against all the respondents.
Additionally, the following interim orders were issued:
* Tender reports, analysis, information and data lying in the custody of the 41st to 44th Respondents (the UGC, the Chairman of the UGC, the Minister of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education and the Secretary to the Ministry of Education), of the incidents of ragging in state educational institutions, coming under their purview, including disciplinary action taken, after the coming into effect of the Prohibition of Ragging and Other Forms of Violence in Educational Institutions Act, No. 20 of 1998.
* Tender a report from the 49 and/or 49A and/or 69th Respondents (the IGP and/or the Attorney General), of prosecutions pending and/or concluded, under and in terms of the Prohibition of Ragging and Other Forms of Violence in Educational Institutions Act, No. 20 of 1998.
* Tender a report on the steps taken by the 1st to 37th Respondents (the Sabaragamuwa University, its Vice Chancellor, Deans of the Faculties, Members of the Council of the University, Secretary to the Council, Senior Assistant Registrar, Senior Assistant Registrar Academic & Student Affairs, Senior Student Counsellor, Assistant Registrar, Chief Security Officer, Marshals, Controller of Student Discipline, Sub-warden and Senior Security Officer), including their predecessors in office, to prevent and/or sanction acts of ragging at the SUSL, after the coming into effect of the Prohibition of Ragging and Other Forms of Violence in Educational Institutions Act, No. 20 of 1998, with official records of the relevant Council decisions and consequential steps taken, as evidence therefor.
* Tender a report on the steps taken by the 1st to 37th Respondents, including their predecessors in office, to prevent and/or sanction acts of ragging at the SUSL, after the coming into effect of the said UGC Circular No.919 dated 15/01/2010, with official records of the relevant Council decisions and consequential steps taken, as evidence therefor.
* Tender a report on the disciplinary action taken by the 1st to 37th Respondents, including their predecessors in office, in relation to acts of ragging at SUSL, after the coming into effect of the Prohibition of Ragging and Other Forms of Violence in Educational Institutions Act, No. 20 of 1998, with official records of the relevant Council decisions and consequential steps taken, as evidence therefor.
* A direction on the 41st to 48B Respondents (the UGC, the UGC Chairman, the Minister of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education, the Secretary to the Ministry of Education, the Attorney General, the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, Minister of Health and Mass Media, the Secretary to the Ministry of Health and Mass Media, the Minister of Justice and National Integration and the Secretary to the Ministry of Justice and National Integration), to forthwith cause the operationalisation of the existing Rules, Regulations, and/or Guidelines aimed at enforcing the provisions of the Prohibition of Ragging and Other Forms of Violence in Educational Institutions Act, No. 20 of 1998, IN FULL.
* A direction on the 64th and/or 65th Respondents (the National Authority for the Protection of Victims of Crime and Witnesses and/or the Director General of the National Authority for the Protection of Victims of Crime and Witnesses) and/or their servants or agents to take steps forthwith, inter alia in terms of Section 41(1)(c) of the Assistance To and Protection of Victims of Crime and Witnesses Act, No. 10 of 2023, to ensure the protection and promotion of the rights and entitlements of the students of SUSL who have been victimised by ragging, and witnesses thereto.
* A direction on the 1st to 37th and/or 49th to 52nd Respondents (the IGP, the OIC of the Samanalawewa Police Station, the Director of the CID and the OIC of the CID) and/or their agents or servants and/or successors, to station security and/or police officers within the hostels of the SUSL, in particular the ‘Sinharaja’ hostel, at all times of the day, until the final determination of the application.
* A direction on the 1st to 37th and/or 49th to 52nd Respondents and/or their agents or servants and/or successors to report to Court of any incidences of ragging which take place within the precincts of the SUSL, its hostels, canteens, gymnasiums, and other common areas of the SUSL.
* A direction on any one or more of the 1st to 37th and/or 49th to 52nd Respondents and/or their agents or servants and/or successors to ensure that no acts of reprisals are made by one or more of the 53rd to 62nd Respondents (the suspect raggers) and/or their agents and/or associates and/or any persons acting on their directions, against the students who made complaints and/or provided statements to any one or more of the 1st to 37th and/or 38th to 40th and/or 49th to 52nd Respondents and/or their agents and/or representatives.
* A direction on any one or more of the 1st to 37th and/or 38th to 40th and/or 41st, 42nd, 49th to 52nd Respondents and/or their agents or servants to report to the Court of the findings regarding the investigation commenced into the ragging incident which led to the death of Charith Dilshan.
Mr. Senany Dayaratne appeared for the President and Secretary of the BASL, the Petitioners in SC/FR/101/2025, with Ms. Sankhitha Gunaratne, Mr. Harith de Mel, Ms. Nishadi Wickramasinghe, Mr. Rachika Palihawadana, Mr. Susitha Dangahadeniya, Ms. Gangulali Dayarathna, Mr. Minul Muhandiramge, Ms. Janani Abeywickrema and Ms. Maheshika Bandara, instructed by Senior Instructing Attorney-at-Law Mr. G. G. Arulpragasam.
The government was committed to fulfilling the aspirations of war heroes who liberated the country, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said yesterday, addressing the 17th National War Heroes’ Commemoration Ceremony held in Battaramulla.
The members of the security forces had made a tremendous contribution towards bringing relief to the people and their sacrifices had to be honoured not only with remembrance but also through action to rebuild the nation, President Dissanayake said, stressing that everything possible had to be done to ensure that the people would not suffer due to conflicts again.
Praising the armed forces for the role they played in disaster response and national emergencies, the President said the government was working hard to strengthen the country’s international standing while ensuring the rule of law and judicial independence.
Sri Lanka belonged to all communities and there should be no division along ethnic lines.
President Dissanayake added that the government’s focus was to prevent the recurrence of conflict and to build a democratic society where equality before the law was guaranteed and all citizens had equal opportunity regardless of status.
News
H’tota elephant management reserve essential to halt ecological destruction and rising human-elephant conflict – Minister Patabendi
Environment Minister Dhammika Patabendi yesterday sounded a strong warning over the rapid destruction of elephant habitats in the Hambantota region, declaring that the proposed Hambantota Elephant Management Reserve was no longer an option but an urgent national necessity to prevent a deepening environmental crisis.
Addressing a media briefing convened to create public awareness on the reserve, Dr. Patabendi said decades of political interference, illegal land grabs, deforestation and unplanned development had pushed Sri Lanka’s elephant population and rural communities into a dangerous confrontation.
“Sri Lanka is witnessing an environmental tragedy unfold before our eyes. Forests are shrinking, elephant corridors are being blocked, and wild elephants are being forced into villages and farmlands in search of food and water,” the Minister said.
He stressed that the Hambantota region had become one of the country’s most critical human-elephant conflict hotspots due to aggressive land conversion and irresponsible exploitation of natural ecosystems.
“The elephant is paying the price for human greed and shortsighted planning. If we continue to destroy forests in the name of development without ecological discipline, the consequences will be catastrophic not only for wildlife, but also for people,” he warned.
Dr. Patabendi said the proposed Elephant Management Reserve would serve as a scientifically managed buffer to protect vital elephant corridors, regulate land use, and reduce deadly encounters between elephants and humans.
He noted that Sri Lanka continued to record alarming numbers of elephant and human deaths annually, describing the situation as a “national environmental emergency.”
“Human-elephant conflict is no longer merely a wildlife issue. It is directly linked to food security, rural safety, water resources and ecological stability. The country cannot continue to address this crisis with temporary fences and political rhetoric,” he said.
The Minister also took aim at illegal encroachments and destructive activities within sensitive forest areas, warning that strict action would be taken against those responsible for environmental destruction.
“There are organised attempts to exploit forest lands for private interests while ignoring the irreversible damage caused to biodiversity and ecosystems. Such actions cannot be tolerated any longer,” he said.
Dr. Patabendi stressed that sustainable development could not be achieved at the expense of forests and wildlife, adding that environmental conservation must become a central pillar of national policy rather than an afterthought.
Environmentalists said Sri Lanka’s elephant population was increasingly under pressure due to shrinking habitats, fragmented migration routes and expanding human settlements.
The Minister called on politicians, state institutions and the public to support long-term conservation measures instead of promoting short-sighted solutions driven by vested interests.
“We have reached a decisive moment. Either we protect these ecosystems now or future generations will inherit a country stripped of its forests, wildlife and ecological security,” he warned.
The Environment Ministry is expected to initiate further scientific consultations and stakeholder discussions before moving ahead with the reserve’s implementation framework.
By Ifham Nizam
UN Resident Coordinator here, Marc-André Franche, said yesterday that efforts to establish ‘Unified Civil Registry’ programme was underway. Led by UNDP and the World Health Organisation (WHO), system mapping, capacity building, and baseline surveys have already been completed, he said, adding that ‘mobile clinics’ programme, implemented by UNDP in support of the Registrar General, has received the appreciation of many, including at the UN Headquarters in New York.
According to him the project would be completed by November 2027.
The ongoing project is meant to digitalise Sri Lanka’s Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) system, strengthening regional administration and local government institutions, and fast-tracking the electoral reform process.
Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government Minister, Professor Chandana Abayarathne, and Marc-André Franche and officials discuss ways and means of bringing the project to a successful conclusion when they met at the Ministry premises, located at Independence Square, Colombo 07.
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