Arlis v. Abeynayake – sllr 1980 volume 2 page 084

In ARLISĀĀ v. Abeynayake, the court examined whether the Primary Court Judge retained jurisdiction to make an order delivered 16 weeks after the statutory deadline of one week following the conclusion of an inquiry, as mandated by Section 67(2) of the Primary Courts Procedure Act, No. 44 of 1979. The court found that the statutory time limit was binding and that the delayed order was made without jurisdiction. The legal principle reaffirmed the imperative nature of express statutory deadlines for judicial orders. Reliance was placed on the precedent in Dias et al. v. Suwaris, underscoring that the loss of jurisdiction occurs once the time period elapses. The application for revision was allowed, and the disputed order was set aside, emphasizing judicial adherence to statutory procedural fr