OIC Meerigama Police Station vs K.A. Samson Harischandra – CA PHC/186/16-2022

In the case between OIC, Meerigama Police Station and Ravindra Rathnasekara (appellant), the court addressed whether the High Court was correct in ordering a retrial after acquittal in a criminal matter had not been specifically challenged, and whether the revisionary jurisdiction was exercised appropriately given the limited scope of the application and the passage of time. It was determined that the High Court exceeded its authority by ordering a retrial based solely on a challenge to the compensation award and not the acquittal. The Court of Appeal held that revisionary powers must be exercised with care and only in exceptional cases where interests of justice so require, particularly when a significant time lapse and the non-serious nature of the alleged offence are present. This decis