S M Punchi Banda et al. vs D M P B Dissanayake et al. – CA PHC 184/2008-2018

In the case between S M Punchi Banda and others (Petitioner-Appellants) and D M P B Dissanayake, Agrarian Services Review Board, H M Edward Camilus Fernando, and Assistant Commissioner of Agrarian Services (Respondent-Respondents), the court addressed the legality of decisions made by agrarian authorities concerning tenancy and cultivation rights over a paddy field. The key issue was whether the High Court’s refusal to issue writs of certiorari, prohibition, and mandamus against the agrarian officials’ determinations was justified. It was held that no grounds for judicial review—specifically illegality, irrationality, or procedural impropriety—were established. The holding reaffirmed the principle that judicial review is confined to examining the lawfulness of administrative action, not re