The Mullaitivu Magistrate court has urged Sri Lanka's Wildlife Department to reconsider its case against 130 Tamils in the North-East. The Department alleges that the Tamils have unlawfully occupied and cleared parcels of land, but the Tamils refute this, asserting ownership through centuries-old deeds.

In its case, the Wildlife Department has charged that 130 Tamils from Chundikulam and Karialvayal have cleared land and initiated farming on these lands. The Tamil residents however stated that they have been farming on these lands since 1908. 

The Department said that the individuals had cleared a pathway through the Chundikulam National Park and were using this route. The issue initially arose in December 2023, and the court date was set to May 2nd this year. 

During the hearing, the Tamil residents' lawyer C. Dhananjayan noted the court's discussion on land jurisdiction under the Wildlife Department. Defendants informed the court of their century-old land rights and the presence of privately owned and government-approved lands

“Given the nature of these land ownerships, we have highlighted the shortcomings in this case. The courts have directed the Department to re-examine the case and submit the relevant charge sheets. The court case has been postponed to July, and will be deliberated over three days,” the lawyer told reporters outside the court complex. 

In #SriLanka’s war torn Vanni region where #Tamils are in a constant battle with the military to reclaim occupied land, the wildlife department has gone to court to evict over hundred people in the Kariyanwayal area of Puthukudiyiruppu who returned to their land after the war. pic.twitter.com/UdsAizV6Bo

— LankaFiles (@lankafiles) May 3, 2024

Despite it being 15 years since the end of the armed conflict, Sri Lankan government institutions such as the Wildlife Department occupy large swathes of land across the homeland. In 2019, the Wildlife Department took over crop fields owned by Tamils and declared them a wildlife sanctuary, despite the owners possessing deeds for the lands.

Residents of Kokkuthoduvai, a village of Mullaitivu District bordering Trincomalee have been distressed by the wildlife department’s seizing of their fields in Vellai Kalladi, Thimunthal, Kunchukaalveli and Kottaikeni and erecting boards declaring them state-owned sanctuary land.