High Court orders stay on proceedings in case involving revocation of 'Gedhoruveriya' scheme flat
28 ޖުލައި 2026 | އަންގާރަ 11:56The High Court has issued an injunction to stay the ongoing Civil Court proceedings regarding a case where an individual’s flat was revoked under the "Gedhoruveriya" housing scheme after the agreement had already been signed. The stay order follows the state’s appeal of a Civil Court decision to reject a procedural objection claiming the case could not be pursued in that court. While the Ministry of Housing maintains the individual is ineligible because they had previously received housing under a different government project, the High Court has halted the lower court's trial until a decision is reached on the state's appeal.
A photograph taken from outside the High Court. | High Court
The High Court has issued an injunction to stay a Civil Court trial concerning a case where a flat was revoked after the recipient had already signed the agreement under the "Gedhoruveriya" housing scheme.
The order was issued in response to a lawsuit filed by a private individual against the Fahi Dhiriulhun Corporation (FDC) and the Ministry of Housing, Land, and Urban Development.
This case involves an individual whose flat was revoked by the current administration, despite having met the eligibility criteria, receiving an official award letter, and signing a formal agreement under the previous government's "Gedhoruveriya" housing scheme. The claimant filed the lawsuit in Civil Court after the current administration disqualified them and overturned their flat allocation, citing a failure to meet the necessary requirements.
In this case, the Ministry of Housing, appearing as the defendant, informed the Civil Court that although the individual had previously been notified of their eligibility for a flat, subsequent verification revealed that they had already been allocated housing under a different project. Consequently, the Ministry stated that the individual no longer meets the eligibility criteria.
Furthermore, both the State and the FDC have raised a procedural objection, contending that the Civil Court does not have the jurisdiction to hear this case.
The state contends that any grievances regarding the decision of a government entity must be filed as a judicial review claim. However, the state noted that this case was instead submitted as a standard contentious civil claim.
The Civil Court initially ruled that it had the jurisdiction to proceed with the case despite the state's objections. However, following an appeal of that decision by the state, the High Court has ordered a stay of proceedings in the Civil Court.
The High Court's order stated that allowing the Civil Court proceedings to continue could potentially undermine the purpose of the ongoing appeal. The order further noted that the judges believe the most equitable course of action is to stay the lower court proceedings until the High Court reaches a final decision.
As the current administration continues its review of the flat recipient list issued by the previous government under the 'Gedhoruveriya' housing scheme, the Ministry of Housing has announced that ineligible applicants will be removed from the list. The Ministry estimates that approximately 700 individuals from the original list will be disqualified.
