COLOMBO – After three decades of occupation, the land on which the Sri Lankan Koppay Police Station in Jaffna stands is set to be returned to its rightful Tamil owners this week, if authorities comply with a long-awaited court order.
The property, located along Rasapathai in Koppay, has been under the control and use of the Sri Lankan police for over thirty years, despite repeated appeals from local residents demanding its return.
In 2019, nine landowners jointly filed a case at the Jaffna District Court seeking restitution of their lands, arguing that the property had been unlawfully seized during the war. After six years of legal proceedings, District Judge C. Satheeskaran delivered a verdict on June 27 this year, ruling that the police must vacate the site and hand the land back to its owners.
However, more than two months after the ruling, the police had yet to comply with the court’s directive. Following pressure from the landowners, the court has now ordered that the handover be carried out under judicial supervision.
The Jaffna Court Registrar was due to visit the site on Wednesday (15) to enforce the order, oversee the eviction of police personnel, and formally transfer the land to its legal owners.
The Sri Lankan Police Station, like many state institutions in the North-East, was established on private Tamil land during the years of heavy militarisation during and after the armed conflict. Locals have long accused the Sri Lankan security forces and police of occupying civilian properties without due process, particularly in Jaffna, Mullaitivu, and Trincomalee.
Efforts are reportedly underway by Sri Lankan authorities to relocate the Koppay Police Station to the Urumpirai area, although the move remains incomplete. Tamils have demanded instead of relocating that they demilitarise and evacuate the region entirely.
-TG
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