Karunawathie Wickramasinghe Samaranayake vs Ranjani Warnakulasuriya – SC HC CA LA 137/10-2012

In the case between Karunawathie Wickramasinghe Samaranayake (Plaintiff/Appellant) and Ranjani Warnakulasuriya (Defendant/Respondent), the court addressed whether the application for leave to appeal was filed within the mandatory six‐week period as stipulated by statute. The court held that the application was time-barred and accordingly dismissed the appeal, reaffirming the principle that statutory appeal periods must be strictly observed. This decision relied upon Section 5C of the High Court of the Provinces (Special Provisions) (Amendment) Act No. 54 of 2006, the Supreme Court Rules, 1990, and relevant constitutional provisions, emphasizing the necessity of adherence to procedural time limits in appellate practice.

Saleem Marsoof J. — Upon careful review of the statutory provisions,