Hitihami Mudiyanselage Ananda Dewa et al. v. Hon. Namal Rajapaksa et al. – CA WRIT/520/2021-2021

In the case between Hitihami Mudiyanselage Ananda Dewa and Hon. Namal Rajapaksa (Minister of Sports) along with other sports officials, the court addressed whether disciplinary measures, specifically under Clause 4(s) of the 2016 Gazette Extraordinary Notification, could be retrospectively applied to penalize the petitioner for misconduct that occurred in 1995. The court held that such retrospective application was impermissible, and determined that the petitioner’s appeal was out of time and procedurally defective due to non-joinder of necessary parties. The principle reaffirmed was that retrospective penalties under new regulations are not allowed unless expressly provided, and strict compliance with procedural rules is essential. Reliance was placed on Sports Law No. 25 of 1973 and rela