D.H. Waruna Priyanka vs Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC – SC SPL LA NO. 86/2020-2022

In the case between D.H. Waruna Priyanka and Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC, the court addressed the issue of whether an application for Special Leave to Appeal under Article 128 of the Constitution was filed within the statutory time limit prescribed under Rule 7 of the Supreme Court Rules, considering the statutory extensions related to the Covid‑19 lockdown. It was held that even after accounting for the extension provided by the Covid‑19 (Temporary Provisions) Act, the application was not filed within the permitted time. The principle reaffirmed is that statutory time limits for filing judicial applications must be strictly observed, subject only to express legislative extensions, and discretionary or further judicial extensions are not available unless explicitly provided. This decisio