Jeevan Thondaman, Secretary, Ceylon Workers Congress vs Returning Officer, Maskeliya Pradhesiya Sabha – SC WRIT APPLICATION NO 33/2025-2025

In Jeevan Thondaman, Secretary, Ceylon Workers Congress vs Returning Officer, Maskeliya Pradhesiya Sabha, decided by the Supreme Court on 04th April 2025, the court addressed the issue of the appropriate forum for challenging the Returning Officer’s decision to reject nomination papers for local authority elections. It was determined that the rejection, as a final act carried out by a Returning Officer acting under statutory authority, does not invoke writ jurisdiction under Article 104H since it is not an act of the Commission itself. The holding reaffirmed the principle that actions by officers performing statutory functions remain subject to the Court of Appeal’s jurisdiction, relying on constitutional provisions and the precedent set in Ghany v. Dayananda Dissanayake.

S. Thurairaja,