Rev. Keselwatugoda Chandananda Thero v. Rev. Sirimalwatte Ananda Mahanayaka Thero and Others – sllr 1996 volume 2 page 287

In the case between Rev. Keselwatugoda Chandananda Thero (Petitioner) and the Maha Nayaka Thero (deceased) of the Malwatta Chapter, Commissioner of Buddhist Affairs, and the Robing Tutors (Respondents), the court addressed the issue of whether disciplinary decisions by Buddhist ecclesiastical authorities are subject to judicial review via writs of Certiorari and Mandamus. It was held that disciplinary matters relating to Bhikkus, governed by internal religious law and administered by ecclesiastical bodies, are not amenable to judicial review in the absence of a statutory foundation. The court reaffirmed that the internal discipline and conduct of members of the Sangha fall outside the purview of public administrative law, emphasizing that judicial intervention is not justified where the re