Harischandra Senarath Rathnayake vs Director General, Sri Lanka Mahaweli Authority – CA PHC 170/2017-2022

In the case between Harischandra Senarath Rathnayake (Respondent-Petitioner-Appellant) and the Director General, Sri Lanka Mahaweli Authority (Applicant-Respondent-Respondent), the court addressed whether the Provincial High Court of Embilipitiya had jurisdiction to hear a revision application concerning state lands under Article 154P(3)(b) of the Constitution, in light of the precedent established in “Solaimuthu Rasu.” It was held that the High Court’s dismissal of the Appellant’s revision application for want of jurisdiction was incorrect. The ruling reaffirmed the legal principle that revisionary jurisdiction under Article 154P(3)(b) extends to matters involving state lands, distinguishing such jurisdiction from writ jurisdiction, which remains restricted. Reliance was placed on the tex