(LBO) – A controversial new way to register land in Sri Lanka’s former war zones outside established procedure has been stayed by the island’s Court of Appeal with the state also not objecting, lawyers said. In July 2011, Sri Lanka’s Commissioner General of Lands had issued a circular Regulating the Activities Regarding Management of Lands in the Northern and Eastern Provinces, which had raised concerns among residents and civil society groups.
In view of the stay order, inhabitants of the areas are not required to register their land under the new process, lawyers said.
The case was filed by M A Sumanthiran, a lawyer, who is also a parliamentarian for a minority Tamil party the court of appeal had stayed the circular.
Sri Lanka’s attorney general has said the registration process is being reconsidered they were not objecting to the stay order.
The case would be heard again on January.
A 30-year war ended in Sri Lanka’s North and East two years ago with the wiping out of the Tamil Tiger separatist group. But many inhabitants do not have documents.