Devanayagam Wasanthi U.G. Sunil vs Officer-in-Charge Fraud Investigation Unit, Police Station – SC APPEAL 194/2017-2024

In the case between Devanayagam Wasanthi U.G. Sunil (Appellant) and the Officer-in-Charge, Fraud Investigation Unit (Matale), the Attorney General, and the Prisons Commissioner (Respondents), the court addressed the issue of whether the Supreme Court’s appellate jurisdiction was properly invoked through compliance with procedural requirements—specifically, whether the High Court effectively granted leave to appeal by specifying substantial questions of law. It was held that the absence of an express order by the High Court granting leave, with the requisite identification of substantial legal questions, rendered the appellate petition defective. The court reaffirmed the principle that strict adherence to statutory procedural steps is mandatory for invoking appellate jurisdiction. This deci