The Sri Lankan government says it has put aside Rs 300mn to offer to Internally Displaced People (IDPs), whose land was grabbed in Sampur by the military for a High Security Zone, reported BBC Tamil.
A case filed by the displaced, currently ongoing at the Sri Lankan Supreme Court, heard that the government will offer the IDPs alternate lands, and if they were not willing to accept this, they can take the money as compensation, the government attorney said.
The lawyer for the IDPs said it was illegal for the government to acquire private land without holding an inquiry into the need for the acquisition.
However Supreme Court Judge Mohan Peiris accepted the arguments of the government, and requested a report regarding those IDPs who wished to take up the government offer.
Commenting on the development, an attorney at law and lecturer in law at the University of Jaffna, Kumaravadivel Guruparan said the Supreme Court’s refusal to deal with the illegality of the land grab was consistent with its past record.
"This is not the first time that the Supreme Court has responded to petitions relating to land grab in this fashion," Mr. Guruparan told Tamil Guardian.