Dr. Prathap Ramanujam vs Athauda Arachchige Patrine Dilrukshi Dias Wickremasinghe and others – S.C. Appeal No.88/2024-2025

In the matter between Athauda Arachchige Patrine Dilrukshi Dias Wickremasinghe and members of the Public Service Commission (PSC), the court addressed the issue of the District Court’s jurisdiction to entertain a claim for damages against PSC members. The court held that Article 61A of the Constitution functions as a constitutional ouster clause, explicitly removing the jurisdiction of courts and tribunals, including the District Court, to inquire into or question decisions made by the PSC, subject only to specific Supreme Court and Administrative Appeals Tribunal jurisdictions. This decision reaffirmed the principle that collective PSC decisions are legally impactful and that challenges to such decisions, even if framed as violations of common law rights by individual members, are barred