Mullaitivu Magistrate's Court heard an appeal yesterday on behalf of the Athi Aiyanar temple administration over the illegal construction of a Buddhist temple in Kurunthurmalai, a hill-top site of an ancient Tamil temple in the district’s Thannimurippu area.
The temple administration filed the appeal on on March 2, 2023 as Sinhala Buddhist monks with the support of the Sri Lankan military and archeology department are continuing to carry out the construction of a Buddhist shrine on the temple's land in contempt of an ongoing court order preventing any alteration of the hill. During the construction, Tamils have also also barred from accessing the Athi Aiyanar temple for worship.
One of the lawyers representing the temple, Manni S. Dhananjeyan, told the court that the construction work is continuing in violation of two previous court orders. The temple administration also requested that the the judge visits Kurunthurmalai to inspect the area and issue a binding court order.
The Director General of the Department of Archeology and the Mullaitivu police officers were present in court but their lawyers were reportedly unable to attend, therefore requested additional time to submit their reports. As a result, the case has been adjourned to April 27, 2023.
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