COLOMBO, May 26 -- The Mahaweli Development Authority has taken steps to recover ancestral lands handed over to private companies and return them to indigenous communities, government legal counsel told the Court of Appeal on Tuesday (26).

The announcement came as the Court of Appeal heard a writ petition filed by indigenous Vedda community leader Uruwarige Wannila Aththo, challenging land conversions and clearances carried out in the name of agricultural development that, the petitioners say, damaged indigenous livelihoods and culture.

According to court filings, several private companies carried out clearing operations in forested areas of Pollebedda and Rambakan Oya in 2021 using heavy machinery, claiming the work was for agriculture...