Mawelage Amal Tharanga v. E.M. Appuhamy, Agrarian Development Officer, and Assistant Commissioner Agrarian Development – CA PHC/73/2012-2012

In the case between Mawelage Amal Tharanga (Petitioner-Appellant) and E M Appuhamy and others (Respondent-Respondents), the court addressed the issue of whether the Provincial High Court of Sabaragamuwa Province, Ratnapura, possessed jurisdiction to grant a writ of certiorari against decisions made by Agrarian Development officials and whether the Appellant had sufficiently substantiated the application with necessary evidence. It was held that the Provincial High Court was correct in exercising jurisdiction after considering conflicting Supreme Court authorities and that the Appellant’s failure to comply with procedural requirements, particularly the omission of material documents such as a supporting affidavit, was fatal to the application. The principle reaffirmed is that strict adheren