Wellawattage Sarath Peiris vs Katunayake Seeduwa Urban Council et al. – CA WRIT APPLICATION NO. 24/2021-2021

The case between Wellawattage Sarath Peiris (Petitioner/Chairman, Katunayake Seeduwa Urban Council) and the Katunayake Seeduwa Urban Council & Others addressed the issue of whether the Chairman is deemed to have resigned for failing to secure the passage of the Council’s 2021 budget pursuant to Section 178A and its proviso of the Urban Councils Ordinance. It was held that, in accordance with the statutory framework, a Chairman who fails, after two years of the Council’s term, to secure the passage of the budget after two opportunities, is deemed to have resigned from office. This principle was reaffirmed by reference to Section 178A and related provisions, emphasizing that the statutory scheme is triggered automatically upon the prescribed failure, irrespective of underlying motives or att