Jayathunga Patabandige vs Arosha Manthika Prais and Lesley Norman Prais – CA COC/0003/23-2023

In the case between Susil Priyantha Jayathunga (complainant) and Arosha Manthika Prais and Lesley Norman Prais (defendants), the court addressed whether the complainant’s application for contempt under Article 105(3) of the Constitution was procedurally and substantively warranted. It was held that the initiation of contempt proceedings lacked a sufficient prima facie basis, and that the alleged failure by the defendants to appear in writ proceedings did not amount to disruption of the Court’s process. The principle established was that contempt jurisdiction must be exercised in accordance with constitutional and criminal procedure standards rather than the Civil Procedure Code, reaffirming the need for a rigorous evidentiary threshold. The decision relied on constitutional authority and r