Rasika Sudantha Punchibandara Senanayake vs Pradeep Nilanga Dela – CA PHC APN 21/13-2018

In the case between Rasika Sudantha Punchibandara Senanayake and Pradeep Nilanga Dela (Diyawadana Nilame), the court addressed whether a private complaint for failure to submit half-yearly accounts by the Diyawadana Nilame of the Temple of the Tooth Relic could be sustained in the Magistrate’s Court, or whether such prosecution is exclusively vested with the Commissioner of Buddhist Affairs as stipulated by the Buddhist Temporalities Ordinance. It was held that only the Commissioner of Buddhist Affairs is empowered to initiate prosecution in such matters, reaffirming the principle that statutory processes under the Buddhist Temporalities Ordinance require strict adherence and exclusive jurisdiction for prosecution. This determination was based on the construction of relevant statutory prov