Senaratne v. Cabraal – sllr 1982 volume 1 page 406

In Senaratne v. Cabraal, the court addressed whether an amendment to the plaint—specifically the deletion of the original ground for ejectment under s.22(2)(b) of the Rent Act and the introduction of a new ground under s.22(2)(bb)—was permissible, and the consequences of such amendment upon the court’s original jurisdiction. The holding established that the amendment altered the substantive legal basis of the action, thereby transforming its nature and eliminating the jurisdiction upon which the original case was instituted. This principle reaffirmed that amendments to pleadings must not operate to fundamentally change the nature of the suit or the basis of jurisdiction, relying on the Civil Procedure Code (including s.93 and s.46) and established precedents regarding the scope and limits