Edirisinghe Arachchige Sripala vs Asst: Commissioner of Agrarian Services – CA PHC/192/2003-2013

In the matter between Edirisinghe Arachchige Sripala (Appellant) and the Assistant Commissioner of Agrarian Services, AGS Officer, Gampaha (Respondent), the court addressed the issue of whether the Court of Appeal possessed jurisdiction to hear an appeal against an order of the High Court of Gampaha delivered in its appellate capacity. It was held that the Court of Appeal lacked jurisdiction to entertain such an appeal, based on the construction of Article 138(1) and Article 154P of the Constitution, as well as Section 9(a) of the High Court of the Provinces (Special Provisions) Act No. 19 of 1990. The holding reaffirmed the legal principle that appeals from the appellate jurisdiction of a provincial High Court must be directed to the Supreme Court, not the Court of Appeal. This conclusion