Ceylon State Mortgage Bank v. Ranasinghe – sllr 1980 volume 2 page 011

In the case between Ranasinghe (purchaser of the premises at public auction) and The Ceylon State Mortgage Bank (statutory authority acquiring the premises), the court addressed whether the District Court possessed jurisdiction to review and grant declaratory relief against a decision made by a statutory tribunal. It was determined that requests for declarations, which are in substance appeals seeking to review and set aside statutory decisions, fall outside the original jurisdiction of the District Court unless explicit statutory authority is granted. The findings established that only superior courts with express supervisory jurisdiction may entertain such matters, and the statutory framework did not vest such power in the District Court. The appeal was allowed, plaintiff’s action was di