Court issues Interim Order requested by GSMB against Eastern Province Governor

Monday, 4 September 2023 01:15 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Court of Appeal on Friday granted the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau (GSMB) the requested Interim Order in a case challenging the actions of the Eastern Province Governor, Senthil Thondaman aiming to obstruct the planned mineral sand exploration in the Trincomalee district.

As a result, two Interim Order have been issued, effectively suspending the Governor’s directives until the case reaches its conclusion.

Furthermore, the court has issued an additional Interim Order preventing any interference with the petitioners by Governor Thondaman or the other 12 individuals listed as respondents.

The Governor’s directives had obstructed the operations of the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau (GSMB), which had previously granted a mineral exploration licence in the Trincomalee district to a company called Midwest Heavy Sands Ltd.

Midwest Heavy Sands had previously entered into an exploration contract with the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau (GSMB), which holds the necessary expertise for conducting mineral explorations.

However, the recently appointed Governor had issued directives to the district and divisional secretaries within the province. These directives instructed them to cease the processing of proposals related to mineral sands and industrial minerals and to refrain from releasing any lands until these proposals have been evaluated by the provincial minerals evaluation committee situated in his office.

President’s Counsel Faiszer Mustapha, along with Attorneys-at-law Pulasthi Rupasinghe and Kethmini Dharmasena, represented the petitioner.