Attorney-General v. M. A. de Silva – sllr 1981 volume 1 page 121

In the case between Ranasinghe (Plaintiff) and The Ceylon State Mortgage Bank (Defendant), the court addressed whether the District Court had jurisdiction—original or supervisory—to declare the statutory redemption determination of the Bank null and void. The court determined that the District Court had original civil jurisdiction to issue a declaratory judgment under the relevant statutory framework, even where the determination challenged originated from a statutory body. It was reaffirmed that, within prescribed statutory boundaries, the District Court’s authority is not ousted for such declarations, and review may be properly sought through a declaratory action rather than only by way of prerogative writs. The decision relied on analysis of the Civil Procedure Code, local statutes, and