Environmental Foundation Limited vs. Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka – SC FR NO. 459/08-2010

In the case between Environmental Foundation Limited, K.K.D. Perera, Ajith P. Dharmasuriya (petitioners), and the Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka with its Director-General and other officials (respondents), the court addressed whether the arbitrary alienation of state lands and authorization of construction within a protected “Special Area”—specifically the 100‑meter reservation of the Victoria Reservoir and Victoria-Randenigala-Rantabe Sanctuary—constituted a violation of Article 12(1) of the Constitution and other environmental statutes. It was held that the respondents violated constitutional rights by failing to adhere to statutory and regulatory requirements governing land use and environmental protection. The court reaffirmed the principle that state authorities are constrained by th