A Fundamental Rights application on the right to build an Islamic religious school was dismissed by Sri Lanka's Supreme Court, the Sunday Times reported this week.
Buddhist monks and locals had demonstrated against the building of the religious school.
The FR application was made by a principal of a madrassa in Panadura and mosque president, who argued their right to build a religious school was being violated.
The judge deemed that "the material placed before court indicates that the real purpose of the petitioners seems to be to have a mosque, instead of a school".
"This seems to be the starting point for the dispute. The villagers, residents and Buddhist monks vehemently protested against any further construction for a different purpose," he added.
“Our country has suffered over the years as a result of communal violence,” it continued. “History repeats and, if one were to analyse as to what happened in the 1915 riots, though it was meaningless for the two communities to clash, lessons have not been learnt by a certain section of the community."
"Riots at that point of time resulted in loss of valuable life and property. Time and again incidents of such nature have taken place in our country. As such, the official respondents had to take steps to avoid and avert any breach of peace.”
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