Appeal Court has issued an interim injunction barring the execution of Kurunegala Magistrate court’s arrest warrant on Kurunegala Mayor & 04 others until petition hearing is concluded.
Attorney General (AG) Dappula de Livera had instructed Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP) C.D. Wickremeratne to obtain a warrant from Court, arrest and produce the Mayor of Kurunegala Thushara Sanjeeva Witharana, Municipal Commissioner Nishantha Thilakaratne, Municipal Engineer Chaminda Bandara Adikari, Acting Director for the removal of illegal constructions Ilaludeen Zulfika, and operator of the Bako machine used for the demolition Lakshman Priyantha.
The 13th Century King’s Court of King Bhuvanaikabahu II in Kurunegala, dating back to the Kurunegala / Yapahuwa Kingdom Era, was allegedly demolished on 18 July by the Mayor of Kurunegala and officials from the Urban Development Authority disregarding warnings by the Archaeology Department.
The preliminary report of the committee appointed to investigate the demolition was handed over to Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa on 22 July, consisting of five proposals, including to institute legal action against those responsible for the demolition.