Weersasinghe Arachchige Krishantha Pushpakumaraa v. Dayananda Dissanayake – CAEP02/2010-2011

In the case between Weersasinghe Arachchige Krishantha Pushpakumaraa (petitioner) and Dayananda Dissanayake, Commissioner of Elections, and others (respondents, including the 4th and 5th respondents), the court addressed whether a losing parliamentary candidate could invalidate the election of two other candidates in the Galle district based on alleged miscounting of preferential votes and procedural irregularities. It was held that only those allegations specifically enumerated under section 92(2) of the Parliamentary Elections Act No. 1 of 1981—such as corrupt or illegal practices or ineligibility—permit a challenge to the election of individual members, as opposed to broader challenges to a district-wide result under section 92(1). The principle reaffirmed by this decision is that chall