Nagananda Kodithuwakku vs. Chandana Sooriyabandara and others – CA WRIT/137/2022-2023

In the case between Nagananda Kodithuwakku (General Secretary of Vinivida Foundation) and several public officials including Chandana Sooriyabandara (Director General, Department of Wildlife Conservation) and others, the court addressed the issue of compliance with procedural rules and evidentiary sufficiency in applications for writs of Certiorari, Mandamus, and Prohibition. It was held that failure to adhere to the mandatory requirements of Rule 3(1)(a) of the Court of Appeal Rules—specifically, the submission of an affidavit not contemporaneous with, nor supportive of, the petition—constitutes a fatal defect precluding judicial intervention. This determination reaffirmed the principle that strict procedural compliance is essential for invoking the writ jurisdiction. The court relied on