Center for Environmental Justice v. National Housing Development Authority – CA WRT/264/19-2022

The case between Center for Environmental Justice and National Housing Development Authority addressed the legality of environmental approvals for the Hanthana Residencies Housing Project, specifically whether the project land qualified as an environment protected area, forest, or forest reserve, and whether delays barred the petitioners from securing writs of Certiorari or Mandamus. It was determined that the land in question is agricultural and not within protected categories, and that significant laches precluded the petitioners’ claims. The principle reaffirmed is that equitable relief under Article 140 cannot be granted where inordinate delay and insufficient evidence are present, as established in prior legal precedents. The decision emphasized that administrative and environmental a