Rohan Sujeewa Laksiri Karanduwawala v. Lieutenant General A.W.J.C.de Silva et al. – CNWRIT/50/2015-2017

In the case between Rohan Sujeewa Laksiri Karanduwawala (Petitioner) and Lieutenant General A.W.J.C.de Silva (Commander of Sri Lanka Army) and others (Respondents), the court addressed the lawfulness of the Petitioner’s expulsion from the Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Corp and the issuance of a writ of Certiorari. It was held that the application for relief was both time-barred due to unjustified delay (laches) and futile, given the subsequent presidential withdrawal of the Petitioner’s commission. This reaffirmed the principle that judicial review may be refused where laches or supervening events render the relief academic or ineffectual. Reliance was placed on legal principles governing laches and futility, emphasizing that the court will not grant relief when the challenge is stale or the gr