Chandrasena v. Commander of the Sri Lanka Army and Others – sllr 2004 volume 1 page 404

The case between Major Chandrasena (Plaintiff) and the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army with others (Defendants) addressed the issue of whether the Court Martial had jurisdiction to try the petitioner when more than three years had elapsed from the commission of the alleged offences to the commencement of the trial. It was held that the prosecution was time barred according to section 56 of the Army Act, as trial commencement was determined to occur at arraignment, not at the convening of the court. This decision reaffirmed the principle that statutory time limits for prosecution in military courts are substantive, and the interpretation of “commencement of trial” follows established judicial and statutory guidance. The legal reasoning emphasized harmonization with provisions from the Army