Y.P.J. Warnakulasuriya v. Chandana Suriyabandara et al. – CA WRIT/120/2022-2022

In the case between Y.P.J. Warnakulasuriya (Petitioner) and Chandana Suriyabandara, Director General, Department of Wildlife Conservation, along with C.P. Athuluwage, Chairman, Road Development Authority, and others (Respondents), the court addressed the legality of removing a ‘pandu karanda’ (Crudia zeylanica) tree due to expressway construction. The court held that the application for writs of prohibition and mandamus was legally misconceived and did not disclose a legal basis or prima facie case for judicial review under Article 140 of the Constitution. It was established that constitutional directives do not create enforceable legal rights and that judicial review is limited to questions of legality rather than policy. Reference was made to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Supreme Cou