M A Sumanthiran vs Returning Officer, Manthai West Pradeshiya Sabha – SC WRIT APPLICATION NO 09/25-2025

In M A Sumanthiran vs Returning Officer, Manthai West Pradeshiya Sabha, decided by the Supreme Court of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka on April 4, 2025, the court addressed the issue of the constitutional jurisdiction over writ applications filed under Article 140 read with Article 104H concerning the rejection of nomination papers. It was determined that the contested acts of the Returning Officers, when performed as agents under statutory provisions, do not invoke the Supreme Court’s writ jurisdiction over the Election Commission’s own decisions. The holding reaffirmed the principle of strict statutory interpretation with regard to jurisdictional limits and judicial review, relying on constitutional provisions and precedents such as Ghany v. Dayananda Dissanayake, and emp