• Sumanthiran-led petition challenges state land acquisition under Land Settlement Ordinance
• Interim order halts Gazette until 2 July
The Supreme Court of Sri lanka has issued a stay order temporarily suspending the implementation of a Gazette notification issued under the Land Settlement Ordinance, which sought to acquire 5,941 acres of land in Sri Lanka’s Northern Province.
The Gazette, dated 28 March 2025, was due to come into effect on 28 June. However, the court intervened following a Fundamental Rights petition (SC FR 112/25) filed by former Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Parliamentarian M.A. Sumanthiran PC.
The stay order will remain in effect until 2 July 2025, pending further judicial review.
The Gazette had triggered concern among civil society organisations, landowners, and legal professionals, who argued that it was part of a broader pattern of state-led land acquisitions in historically Tamil-majority areas. Critics said such efforts could contribute to demographic engineering and extend military-backed state control, undermining reconciliation efforts in the post-war North.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Sumanthiran said the Attorney General has been directed to file the Gazette in court if it is revoked prior to the expiration of the stay, implying continued scrutiny by the judiciary.
The three-judge bench comprised Justices Yasantha Kodagoda PC, Sampath Abeykoon, and Sampath Wijeratne.