Malegoda v. Joachim – sllr 1997 volume 1 page 088

In MALEGODA v. JOACHIM, the court addressed whether the High Court possessed jurisdiction to entertain an appeal from a Magistrate’s Court order, specifically under the regime established by Section 19D(1) and 19H(1) of the Urban Development Authority Law and Article 154P(3)(b) of the Constitution. It was held that such a statutory right of appeal was available only to the Court of Appeal and not the High Court. This principle was reaffirmed through analysis of statutory law and relevant judicial precedents, establishing that the specific route of appeal provided by statute prevails over general constitutional provisions regarding High Court jurisdiction. The appellate order of the High Court was accordingly set aside and the matter was ordered to be referred to the Court of Appeal, with n