Wellawattage Sarath Peiris vs. Katunayake Seeduwa Urban Council, Seeduwa & others – CA WRIT/08/2022-2021

In the case between Dissanayake Mudiyanselage Thotupale Gedara Ranasinghe Banda (Chairman, Hanguranketha Pradeshiya Sabha) and Lalith U. Gamage (Governor, Central Province) and others, the court addressed whether the Chairman could treat a defeated budget as duly adopted by accepting amendments, thereby avoiding the requirement of a further vote under section 169 of the Pradeshiya Sabhas Act. It was held that a budget, even when amended, requires majority approval after the Council’s first two years, and failure to secure such passage or to resubmit constitutes a statutory vacation of the office of Chairman. This principle, rooted in prior Court of Appeal precedent, was reaffirmed, emphasizing that amendments alone do not suffice and strict statutory compliance is required. The application