Officer in Charge, Police Station, Akkaraipattu vs. Thanganayaki Mahadevan et al. – CA PHC 76/2015-2015

In the case between the Officer-in-Charge at Akkaraipattu Police Station and respondents including Thanganayaki Mahadevan, Subair Lafeer, and Mohamed Ismail Munasik, the court addressed the issue of possession of disputed land pursuant to Section 66(1)(a) of the Primary Courts’ Procedure Act. It was held that the Magistrate’s order granting possession to certain respondents should stand and that revisionary jurisdiction by higher courts, including the High Court and Court of Appeal, could only be exercised upon demonstration of exceptional circumstances. The appeals raised by parties who did not pursue or properly invoke revisionary jurisdiction in a timely manner were found to be non-maintainable due to laches. The decision reaffirmed the principle that appellate courts are constrained to