Azra Jafferjee vs Colombo Municipal Council – CA WRIT NO 227/2018-2025

In the case between Azra Jafferjee and others (Petitioners) and the Colombo Municipal Council, its Municipal Commissioner, Blue Ocean Breeze (Pvt) Ltd, and the Attorney General (Respondents), the court addressed the issue of whether the issuance of Development Permits by the municipal council was legally valid in light of the Urban Development Authority’s (UDA) withdrawal of delegated authority effective from 01.02.2017. It was held that the permits were legally issued, as documentary evidence established the building application had been submitted before the withdrawal date and no fraud or illegality was substantiated in the permit process. The principle reaffirmed is that administrative action undertaken in accordance with the applicable authority and procedural correctness will not be i