Amaraweera Wickrama Gunawardhana vs. Saman Jayasinghe and others – CA Writ 448/2023-2025

In the matter of Amaraweera Wickrama Gunawardhana and Cargills Foods Company (Pvt) Ltd., the court addressed the issue of amending a petition to seek interim relief for the suspension of an F.L.04 liquor license. The license was challenged for allegedly violating Rule 20(c) of Excise Notification 902, which prohibits outlets within 100 meters of a public religious place. The court held that the Petitioner’s application to amend the petition was disallowed due to laches, reaffirming the principle that undue delay in seeking interim relief, despite prior knowledge, can lead to its refusal. This decision relied on the Petitioner’s significant delay in seeking interim relief, emphasizing the importance of timely action in such applications.

K. Priyantha Fernando, J. delivered the order conc