Samarakoon Mudiyanselage Chaminda Prasad Samarakoon vs Ceylon Petroleum Corporation and others – CA WRT 0056/2025-2025

In the matter of Samarakoon Mudiyanselage Chaminda Prasad Samarakoon and Ceylon Petroleum Corporation and others, the court addressed the issue of the effective date of an ex-parte interim order. The court held that the interim order was prospective and operative only from its issuance date, January 31, 2025, for a period of 14 days, reaffirming the principle that interim orders are generally not retrospective. This decision relied on the wording of the court’s minute and the purpose of interim relief, emphasizing that such orders are intended to prevent final relief from becoming nugatory rather than imposing retrospective financial obligations.

K. M. S. DISSANAYAKE, J. delivered the judgment, determining that interim orders are generally prospective unless specifically stated otherwi