SC orders govt. to list measures adopted to mitigate climate change

By A.J.A. Abeynayake

The Supreme Court yesterday ordered President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Environment Minister Keheliya Rambukwella, Sustainable Energy Authority, Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka, Transport Ministry and several other parties to inform the Court within six weeks the action they had taken to mitigate the ill-effects of climate change.

The Court issued that order after considering the facts presented by Counsels Dr. Ravindranath Dabare, Kanchana Balachandran, Samanthi Ponnamperuma appearing for a petition filed by the Executive Director of the Centre for Environmental Justice Hemantha Withanage and several other parties.

The three-judge bench comprising Justices Priyantha Jayawardena, Kumuduni Wickramasinghe and Arjuna Obeysekere also ordered the defendants to provide the plaintiffs with copies of their response to the Court.

The plaintiffs were ordered to scrutinise the responses by the defendants and inform the Court of their observations.

The case was fixed to be taken on June 11, 2024.