D.R.Jayasundara v. Assistant Commissioner of Galle and Attorney General – CA PHC 235/2004-2004

In the case between D.R. Jayasundara (Appellant) and the Assistant Commissioner of Galle and the Attorney General (Respondents), the court addressed the legality of orders made under the Agrarian Development Act No. 46 of 2000 concerning alleged unauthorized acts on paddy land. The central issue concerned whether the Magistrate, and later the High Court, adhered to appropriate legal procedure by convicting and fining the Appellant instead of issuing a restraining order as mandated by statute. It was determined that the Magistrate acted beyond statutory authority by proceeding with a conviction and penalty without holding a summary trial, and that the High Court erred in dismissing the revision application on the basis that no exceptional circumstances had been presented. The decision reaff