Kamburuwala Kankanamalage Ramya Priyanthi Mendis v Don Jesan Pubudu Roshan Kulasekera alias Pubudu Roshan Kulasekera & Don Meneth Rehan Kulasekera – CA HCA 03/22-2022

In the case between Kamburuwala Kankanamalage Ramya Priyanthi Mendis (petitioner, birth mother) and Don Jesan Pubudu Roshan Kulasekera (1st respondent, husband), the court addressed the issue of whether an application for a writ of Habeas Corpus under Article 141 of the Constitution—seeking the production and custody of a minor child—may be granted. The court held that substantive relief regarding custody must be sought in the District Court, which holds exclusive jurisdiction over such matters, but interim access to the minor child could be awarded by the appellate court in urgent circumstances. The principle reaffirmed is that the paramount interest and welfare of the child supersede competing claims and any interim relief ordered by higher courts should not preempt the District Court’s