Minister of State for Education, Mr. A. Aravinda Kumar, lodged a complaint with the Lidula Police, protesting the handover of his residence to the Estate Management Authority of Henfold Estate, which is owned by Hatton Plantation Company. The handover was conducted based on an order from the Nuwara Eliya Magistrate Court.
According to Mr. Kumar, his mother had gifted him a large piece of land adjacent to the official residence back in 1985 when he worked on the estate. He obtained a title deed for the land in 2015. However, he claims the court’s order did not include this specific piece of land in the ruling, which, he argues, was wrongfully handed over to the estate company along with the house.
In his complaint, the Minister accused the estate management authority, along with officials including the registrar of the Nuwara Eliya Magistrate’s Court, of misunderstanding the land boundaries. They reportedly broke into the house in his absence and transferred ownership of the property and buildings to the estate management authority without properly assessing the rightful boundaries.
Mr. Kumar urged the police to inform the Nuwara Eliya Magistrate Court about the situation. However, the police responded that they cannot intervene in a court order, advising the Minister to seek further legal action.
On September 5, court officials, along with the estate management, took inventory of all personal belongings in the house, which was originally allocated to Mr. Kumar by the estate. The items were moved to a secure location, with guards stationed to ensure their protection.
