The Colombo Magistrate’s Court has issued a conditional order on the case filed by the Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ) against the dumping of hazardous waste from a factory at the Seethawaka Industrial Estate in Avissawella, into the sea near the Madampitiya Pumping Station. The Magistrate's Court on Monday (27) had issued a conditional order in this regard. The Court had accepted that the gully bowser containing the chemical waste was dangerous to human life and issued an order from the High Court. The gully bowser is to be kept in police custody until it is released. A press release issued by the CEJ stated that about 10-12 gully bowsers carrying hazardous waste were to be smuggled into the sea near the Madampitiya Pumping Station on 11 July 2020. The contents of five of these gully bowsers have already been dumped into the sea. During the investigation, officers of the Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA), the Special Task Force (STF), the Police, and the Environmental Police detained the remaining gully bowsers and kept those in police custody. The Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) had informed the relevant authorities that only sewage effluent is allowed to be discharged from the Madampitiya Pumping Station and no oil, grease, acid, or any other such effluent is allowed to be discharged into the sea from that site. Accordingly, this waste has been disposed of and is going to be disposed of without any license. The CEJ filed a case under Case No. 37475/4/20 in the Colombo Magistrate's Court under Sections 98 (1) (a) and (e) of the Criminal Procedure Code, stating the disposal was done in a manner harmful to the health of the public. It said that this hazardous waste was dumped into the sea without any recommendations and there was a public outcry as the rest was to be dumped.