• Complainants informed Court they were compelled against their will to listen to amplified sounds emanating from loudspeakers   

By Lakmal Sooriyagoda  

The Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court yesterday permitted Ven. Uduwe Dhammaloka Thera to use loudspeakers without causing annoyance and disturbance to the residents around Alan Mathiniyaramaya Temple in Polhengoda.  

The Court made this order delivering its judgement in respect of a private plaint filed by six parties including Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to India Milinda Moragoda and Centre for Environmental Justice.   

The Court permitted Dhammaloka Thera to use loudspeakers between 5 am and 6 am without causing nuisance to the public.  

Through this private plaint, the six complainants sought the Court’s jurisdiction to avert noise pollution taking place in the area in terms of the section 98 of the Criminal Procedure Code.  

The six complainants Gavinda Jayasinghe, Dr. Kalinga Kaluperuma, Diren R. Halok, Milinda Moragoda, Kamalesh Johnpillai and Centre for Environmental Justice informed Court that they were compelled against their will to listen to the amplified sounds which emanate from the loudspeakers at the Alan Mathiniyaramaya Temple. They said the authorities have turned a blind eye to their complaints made on several occasions.   

Senior Counsel Ravindranath Dabare appeared for the Centre for Environmental Justice.     

• The Court permitted the Thera to use loudspeakers between 5 am and 6 am