Dr. Suresh Gangatharan vs. Returning Officer, Vavuniya South Pradeshiya Sabha – SC WRIT 06/25-2025

In Dr. Suresh Gangatharan vs. Returning Officer, Vavuniya South Pradeshiya Sabha, decided by the Supreme Court of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka on April 2025, the court addressed the issue of whether writ petitions under Article 140 read with Article 104H of the Constitution could be entertained in relation to decisions to reject nomination papers by Returning Officers. It was determined that the statutory function of the Returning Officers, who act as agents of the Election Commission and whose decisions under Section 28(4A) of the Local Authorities Elections Ordinance, No. 53 of 1946 are final under section 31(2) of the Ordinance, does not attract the writ jurisdiction of the Supreme Court. The decision relied on the interpretation of Articles 104H, 104A, and 104G of the