A.D. Susil Premajayantha Vs. K.J.S. Madawa and others – CA 132/2011-2011

In the case between A.D. Susil Premajayantha, Secretary, Eksath Janatha Nidahas Sandanaya (UPFA), and K.J.S. Madawa, Returning Officer for Galnewa Pradeshiya Sabha, along with Dayananda Dissanayake, Commissioner of Elections, and others, the court addressed whether the Returning Officer’s rejection of the UPFA’s nomination paper—due to an incorrect date of birth for a youth candidate—was arbitrary, unlawful, or ultra vires. It was determined that the rejection, based solely on a clerical error and not a substantive defect, was legally unsound. The holding reaffirmed the key principle that a clerical irregularity that does not affect substantive requirements cannot invalidate an otherwise lawfully submitted nomination. The decision relied on constitutional and electoral legal standards, spe